A Single Wish
by OtakuSailorV
Summary: It only took a single wish to crack the mighty trunk of that tree...NarakuKagome
1. Default Chapter

_A Single Wish_

By: OtakuSailorV

* * *

_**-Prologue-**_

* * *

****

It was over. A single arrow had finished it all again, along with a wish upon the completed jewel. It was free of Naraku's evil taint - from any demon's taint. It had appeared almost pure white, translucent and swirling in her palm at that moment.

She had been so calm, so collected; she had almost truly felt like her un-dead predecessor in that moment. She had not realized it at first, but later on, when she looked back on it, she found she did feel it.

But it had been so simple, well, maybe not quite _that _simple. There were battle wounds of course, plenty of those, for they _had _been fighting _Naraku _after all. But still, compared to how she had envisioned it in her head, death and destruction everywhere, it was quite simple.

Just a single arrow, and, while he lay, tormented near the tree, a quick thought had grasped her. It would solve all their problems if she simply locked him away inside the tree. Ironic that he should be trapped inside the same Good Tree that Inuyasha had once been pinned to.

The thought had also struck her that if she did not, there might not be any other assurance that they had totally defeated him. She knew him to be resourceful and wily, his deep scarlet vision saw the entire world opened before him, and he dominated over it all. The only thing that stood between him and complete dominance was she.

It was not a proud, conceited thought, but rather a confirmation. Inuyasha was indeed a challenge with his blade, but it was evident that the reason he fought so hard was because she was beside him. Her friends, though also strong fighters, were only human and stood even less a chance than Inuyasha with Tetsusaiga. The real threat, the thread that held them all together, was the young miko, Kagome. She, the raven-haired reincarnation of the priestess Kikyou.

Now, with her bow over one shoulder, the jewel in her hand, she decided. It was the only chance. Closing her eyes, she reached with her subconscious into the jewel. It took but a second, though the journey into the jewel seemed to take lifetimes. Sadness and regret, happiness and elation all crushed in on her. Emotions, memories, everything waged a war around a single pair of solitary figures inside of the pure white jewel.

At first she had thought she was seeing the embodiment of Yin and Yang staring each other down from opposite sides of the jewel. As she drew closer though, their figures were not so distorted, and she could see that they did not appear quite as angry as she thought, but that both had deep regret and sorrow in their vision.

One was female, and a bit taller than Kagome. Kagome immediately recognized her clothes as those that belonged to Midoriko. The deceased priestess that was the created of the Shikon no Tama. And the man across from her must have been her secret demon lover.

_'How sad.' _Kagome had thought as she came upon them. _'Midoriko fell in love with a demon, but both of them were too proud to admit that they had feelings for one another, and ended up killing each other.'_

They never once took their eyes off each other, even as she stood right before them. As she came to a halt before them, she proclaimed in a rather triumphant tone: "I have a wish."

* * *

The next thing she knew, she had been standing in front of the tree, the hand that contained the jewel now felt empty. Opening it, she saw just a brief shimmer in the air around the place where the Jewel had been. Looking about, she saw that her friends were watching with stunned looks. Miroku's hand was uncovered, revealing that the Kazanna was gone. Sealed. 

Kagome had turned her large eyes on Inuyasha, whose mouth was open in shock, Tetsusaiga was still transformed in his hands. "Wha-what just happened?"

"You sealed Naraku inside of the God Tree."

Usually such a thing would have been impossible with a regular tree, but given the profound holiness and power within the God Tree, Naraku would eternally be contained within it. Keade had even soothed Kagome's inner worries about him being in the future by assuring her that the tree would exorcise his evil by the time it reached her era, and if he did manage to break free, he would be no more than a regular human like her. Though if he were ever reduced to that, the tree would swallow him up, and he would become one with it. Her thoughts had then moved to whether she was harming the great God Tree that she knew her Jii-chan loved so much, but Keade soothed her on that too. The tree was quite strong, it would never be broken.

Everyone had been relieved and there was much praise for Kagome's quick thinking.

* * *

She had been quite tired that night, and decided to go home to rest up, and return the next day for a party thrown by the village on the band of warriors behalf. Her friends had wanted her to stay, and Inuyasha himself had seemed quite insistent that she stay the night in the village instead of going home. But she had been determined, maybe too much, to go back and give the good news to her mother. 

They had understood and let her go; though they had made her promise she would return first thing. She promised she would return early with a huge grin at their forcefulness and waved goodbye before disappearing into the dark forest.

Mrs. Higurashi had been overjoyed at the news and had called Kagome's Jii-chan and Ototo in to hear the story. Kagome explained and had promptly gone to sleep, feeling very tired and strained from using the Shikon.

Her dreams were weird, filled with vapors and strange voices. It frightened her, and in a way, she felt as if she had heard the voices before. They were familiar and she groped toward them, despite her anxiety, trying to find out whom they belonged to. When she got close enough though, she was greeted with a single phrase that froze her blood in her sleep and seemed to make time stand still.

**_"Every wish has a yin and yang."_**

She had woken with a start, not quite sure why and saw that she had slept in. Inuyasha was gonna kill her for being late again! Rolling her eyes, she dressed hurriedly and grabbed up a camera and a few other knick-knacks and ran from the house, forgetting about breakfast.

Bursting into the shrine, she took no notice of the fact that the room seemed particularly still this morning. The usual blue glow that wound around the wooden frame of the well when she got close did not appear. And the feeling of there being two or even three of her instead of one – like she was being split – did not come either.

She overlooked all this, in too much a hurry to take any notice or even care.

Jumping in, Kagome felt elation run through her briefly as she fell down. . .

She hissed suddenly as she landed squarely in the dirt, her knees buckled under the sudden pressure, and she fell forward, grabbing at the air for some sort of support. There was none though, she continued to plummet till she was completely covered in dirt on her front.

Looking up, she discovered that she was still in her world, for no blue sky rolled by lazily overhead, only the dark roof of the well house. A form of worry filled her and she climbed out. Looking back into the depths of the well, she gulped, finally noticing the things she had not before. It felt like she was staring down into an ordinary well again, like she had when she was six, and seven. Just a regular well. . .

Jumping back in, she found that the same thing happened again, and again, and again. Until there were scrapes on her legs and bruises on her arms.

Kagome looked up the dark roof, smelled the dry earth beneath her and the moldy smell of the wood and felt a sob choke her. Tears flowed from her eyes and down her burning cheeks, sobs wracked her body so hard she thought she might shake apart, and all she wanted was someone to hold onto in that moment. More than anyone she wanted Inuyasha to come through the well and pull her to her feet and tell her how idiotic she was for crying.

But it was no use, the well was sealed. . .

* * *

Whew, I finally posted it. This is just the prologue though, so I'm not too sure about the rest of the story. Please feel free to review and let me know what you think. I've never done a NarakuKagome story before, so I'm feeling a little uneasy about this as I write it. Heh. 

I'm sorry about the long wait to those of you that I have been promising the unveiling of this to for some time now.

I do hope that this will be a good fiction and look forward to posting more later. Thank you for reading this far, minna-san and please take five minutes to review as well. Heh heh.

Now that I've got that out of my system, I'll take my leave. Ja'ne!

Review Please.


	2. Scroll One The Girl Who Could Transcend...

_A Single Wish_

By: OtakuSailorV

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Scroll One – The Girl Who Could Transcend Time

* * *

She had been able to do it once, she knew she could. To just jump into that well and come out in a different place. To feel the exhilaration of crossing time, to feel the taxing fatigue of trying to exist in two times at times. Though that had been even more burdened when her former had come and taken a part of her soul. A part that she had regained. Or had she. . . ?

It seemed so long ago, like a different place and time, like a story she had read in some ancient novel, or a fantastic, wonderful dream. Sometimes she thought it really was a dream, but there were things that often came up that reminded her that it simply could not be a dream.

Her Jii-chan was asking for her help in the Shrine more and more often, doing jobs in which she would have to wear the sacred robes of the priestess. She would tie her hair back in that strange white ribbon and look herself over in the mirror. Once, briefly, she thought she had caught a glimpse of someone else, someone she had known long ago. Someone who was her, but at the same time, was _not _her. It was a very confusing feeling, and when she went to touch the girl on the other side of the mirror, to test whether she was real or not, the image had faded. Those blank eyes that had watched her so carefully had receded back, to where Kagome wasn't sure, but the strange woman was gone.

At the same time she had felt overcome with grief and frustration at having the woman there, watching her so coolly, as if she were above her, as if she were somehow better. Where did she know that woman? Where! Her head hurt whenever she thought about it, and dancing around behind her eyelids was a thin young man with silver hair and a red haori. Why did she feel so hurt when she saw the two together? Why did she feel so empty when she felt the other girl's strange eyes on her? Why did she hurt and yearn for the boy with silver hair and dog-ears? It made no sense.

Briefly, she recalled their names – Kikyou, Inuyasha. She remembered vividly her 'dream,' or whatever it had been that they were involved in.

Then there were the times when that boy from school, the one that liked her so much – Hojo – came to call. He would always bring things for her, claiming they were good for her health and leave again, sometimes asking if she wanted to see a movie or something. Yes, she had used bad health, as an excuse to leave school more often, hadn't she? In that 'dream'. . .

And her friends were constantly making references to her 'no-good-two-timing-boyfriend,' whom she had come to realize was the boy with the red haori, Inuyasha. At the same time she had recalled why it hurt so much when she imagined him near Kikyou. They had used to be in love. She hated that her friends kept pestering her about this, but they didn't know that she couldn't cross time anymore. . .they had never known in the first place. . .

Souta was the one that caused the most trouble. He was constantly questioning her about 'Inuyasha-nii-chan' and making references to her other friends. He often would sigh, call her the 'lucky one' and say something how he wanted to go to a different time and save the planet too. He made it sound so simple and childish, and she often got mad at him about it. She knew that she shouldn't, he was just a kid after all and didn't realize what she had gone through, but she wished that they would all be quiet and leave her alone. She was back home now, and she wanted everything to be regular again.

But everything would not go back to 'regular,' as she had wanted it to; she often found herself thinking wistfully of her time in the Sengoku Jidaii. She missed them all so much. . .Sango, Shippo, even Miroku. She couldn't help but cry sometimes, and very often she found herself standing by the well, sitting on the rim, legs dangling over the side, staring deep into it's depths thoughtfully.

For several weeks she had tried at least once a day to transcend time again, just once more to see them. But it always proved useless, and she soon abandoned the effort, though that didn't stop her from spending time around the well. Sometimes she even went out of her way to do homework by it. There seemed to be something about it that soothed her, that made her slow down and think calmly for a while, that just made her feel at home again. Though truly her home was outside, and her family was inside waiting for her.

Once she had conceived the contradictory thought that her family was on the other side of the well, waiting for her, not inside of the house. It had vanished the moment she had probed it some, but it left a wondering emptiness in the back of her mind.

* * *

Kagome woke as her buzzer went off like any morning, completely awake. It felt like she hadn't slept at all, like she had just laid down, closed her eyes, and opened them again to find that it was morning. Her clocked buzzed annoyingly on its stand. Reaching over, she slammed her hand down on it, flicking the switch so that it turned off. 

She stared at the ceiling a moment before going down to breakfast. She walked down the hall, the morning sunrises' rays were streaming in through the windows and warming everything around them. It felt good to have those rays shine on her; it put her in a good mood, well, in as good a mood as she could muster lately. The perpetual gloom seemed to still hang around her.

She gathered her usual breakfast things and ate in silence until her younger brother joined her. "Are you going to try the well again today, Onee-chan?" He asked brightly, smiling at her. She hated his bright optimism in that moment, though she knew it was one of his best qualities. It was one all kids his age had. An unshakable belief that everything would turn out fine that nothing could go wrong. But as soon as puberty hit him though, all those thoughts would disappear, unless he was just naturally optimistic, which Kagome thought sometimes that he was.

"No, I'm not." She replied drearily, poking at her food with her spoon.

Souta gave her a worried look, this had become somewhat of a routine, she knew what he was going to say next, but let him say it anyway without interrupting.

"W-why not Kagome?" Ah, there it was.

"It doesn't work anymore, I can't get through, and obviously they can't come through to get me either. Not even Inuyasha."

Kagome stood, gathering her dishes she washed them and stuck them in the dryer as her brother trailed after her, standing by her side and talking anxiously.

"But Inyasha-nii-chan could always travel through the well before, why doesn't he come now? Is it because the Jewel's gone now?"

The last question was new, he had never asked her that before, and it had never truly struck her. She had just accepted that she could no longer go back simply because she couldn't. Now it appeared to be that she couldn't get through because of the Jewel, and no one could come back because of the Jewel. But what of Inuyasha then? He had never had to use the Jewel to get through. This was all so confusing. . .But she broke it down at last. Inuyasha could not get through, no one could get through, because the Jewel was gone, and the Jewel was the one that had created the portal to the Sengoku Jidaii in the first place.

"I think. . .I can't get through because the Jewel is gone." She confirmed. "I've tried a lot, Souta, but I can't get through anymore. It's just a well."

Souta watched his sister until she had descended the steps to her room and disappeared. He felt sad for his elder sibling, but didn't know what to say. Glumly, he looked at the God Tree outside; the Sakura petals were falling. _'Onee-chan. . .' _

* * *

School proved to be even more tiresome than usual, though there was the slight perk of getting that herbal tea from Hojo. 

She had tried to tell him that she was fine and that he didn't need to get her anything anymore, but he had only smiled and claimed that that was ok, she could have it anyway. She knew that was sweet of him, but couldn't bring herself to think of anything more of him than a very nice friend. She just didn't care for Hojo that way, though it was evident he thought of her that way.

She had ridden off on her bike, her mind on other things, though she was careful not to crash. She knew the path home by instinct and no longer really needed to know when she was coming to a turn or a stop. Her body reacted without her acknowledgement, like she was on auto-pilot or something. She would have giggled at the thought before, but at the moment it brought no humor.

As she got to the shrine, she climbed the steps with her bike in tow. Immediately as she reached the top, her eyes fell on the God Tree, the petals of Sakura falling gracefully all around it. It looked beautiful. Kagome gave it a soft smile. It was her last connection with the Sengoku Jidaii. Briefly she was reminded that Naraku was somewhere inside that tree, and a form of anxiety hit her.

Walking cautiously toward the tree, she pressed her palm flatly against it. The bark felt smooth underneath her fingertips, weathered by centuries of storms, battles and other such disasters. It had lived through worse things than she ever had.

She closed her eyes and let herself become lost in the moment. Here, too, she found comfort. The tree was there her entire life, and had been there long before her time, long before her mother, before Jii-chan, even before Inuyasha, Naraku, and Kikyou. Who knew how long it went back? It might be as old as the moon, as old as the stars; its power probably went beyond even that.

Underneath her fingertips, she thought she felt it pulsate suddenly. Kagome drew in her breath sharply and looked at it wonderingly. The branches swayed in a slight breeze, and the entire tree seemed to hum delicately. Something continued to pulsate within it underneath the bark.

"Hey! Kagome, what are you doing?" Her brother Souta was running up the stone steps toward her, breathing heavily from his sprint.

Kagome pulled from her reverie and blinked at the tree for a moment; the illusion had faded. Turning toward Souta, she gave him a curious look before smiling at him softly. "It was nothing."

As he came up to her side, she directed her bike toward the house. "How was school today, Onee-chan?"

* * *

Kagome fell into her bed, thinking to herself deeply. Tomorrow they didn't have any school, but she would have a lot of homework to do. Her mother was planning something special to do tomorrow too; she would have to stay home alone then. Her mother wouldn't let her go thanks to the fact that she had accumulated so much homework and studying over her period of being in the Sengoku Jidaii that she wasn't allowed any time off. From dawn until dusk she did nothing but schoolwork. Besides, they were predicting rain for tomorrow, and she didn't feel like going anywhere when it rained. 

Looking out the window idly, she though she saw a shooting star flash overhead in the sky. That was extremely lucky. People never saw shooting stars in the city, let alone on a cloudy night like this. But, yes, she was sure she had seen it – there, between the cloud-cover, an opening. Yes, there was Polaris, the Northern Star. She was sure of it, it had to have been a shooting star. Clapping her hands together swiftly, she hurriedly made a wish.

_'Please, let me know I wasn't dreaming, that it was all real. . .I don't want to forget them. . .' _

* * *

Souta looked out of his bedroom window at the same time that his elder sister did, and spied the same star. Blinking, his mouth was agape, his eyes were wide in childish delight. He didn't have to think twice to know what it was like his sister had. Clapping his hands together, he bowed his head and prayed silently to himself. It was a good thing that he had already been prepared with a wish too. 

_'Please make my Onee-chan happy again. . .'_

_

* * *

_

Outside the God Tree's branches groaned eerily in the night, the boughs swayed by an unseen wind. Deep inside, encased in purple light sat a demonic figure; his eyes closed and head bowed as if he were asleep. His long, curly black bangs hung over his eyes, obscuring anyone's vision of his face, though there was no one to see him within the confines of the God Tree. He was perpetually trapped there, lost within a deep sleep. But something had stirred him earlier, making his blood flow in his veins again, and to make his lips move in the form of words.

His mind worked furiously, and, lifting his head for the first time in nearly 500 years, he flashed red eyes at the outer bark. He could smell it, sense her nearby. The miko. She who had foiled his plans, trapped him inside this unshapely tree, ironically cast him into the same deep sleep that he had set upon her beloved all those years ago. A smirk crossed his lips, a glint shown in his crimson vision. He was awake now, and it would only be a matter of time before he was out again, and then. . .then he would cut her down.

* * *

Well, it's been a whole month, hasn't it? Probably been far too long, right? Hehe. Sorry, been busy with other things, and I work on this one at my leisure. **prepares to be pelted with random objects**

Thank you to all of you that reviewed, I've been kind of timid about getting this one out there since I don't think it's very good. Then again, I don't think anythingI do is very good. **nervous laughter** Ah, but anyway, thanks to you all and I'll be sure to update again just for you guys. Heehee.

Thanks again and see you soon! Ja'ne!

Review Please?


	3. Scroll Two A Devil Released

_A Single Wish_

By: OtakuSailorV

* * *

Scroll Two – A Devil Released

* * *

Kagome woke to find that her family had already gone; her mother had been kind enough to leave a note detailing where they had gone and where to call in case of an emergency. Kagome smiled softly at the phone numbers listed. She had been through hell and back and yet her mother still thought that she needed to call the police. She was sure that if someone were breaking in she could handle it. 

Outside the rain was just beginning to drizzle, lightly pattering outside. But there were dark gray clouds on the horizon that flashed and made the ground shudder under their force. Kagome was briefly reminded of a distant battle, almost long forgotten. It had been almost like a contest of strength between Inuyasha – newly equipped with Tetsusaiga – and the Raijuu brother's.

It had been dark and stormy out like this then, but it had been different – she recalled now. Yes, there hadn't been any rain then.

And it was then that they had come across the always-cute kitsune cub, Shippo. Kagome realized that she had often been rather motherly to the little kit, facing off against Inuyasha whenever the little one was harmed and holding him whenever he was sad or scared. She sighed to herself, ruffling her bangs thoughtfully. Demons lived for hundreds of years; maybe she would see him again someday.

A fanciful, rather hopeful grin crossed her lips at that time and she went about her business the rest of the day with a light step to her movements.

* * *

By mid-day it was pouring rain, so hard that Kagome could barely see three feet out of her windows from the downstairs, and only a little more from the upstairs. It pounded hard against her roof, making a droning noise that made her feel like she was drowning. It was eerie in the house since it was so dark during the part of the day that should have been so sunny. And whenever the lightening flashed it cast long, spindly shadows across the empty rooms. 

When the thunder rumbled, the whole house seemed to rattle. The little empty tins that sometimes contained cookies jiggled uneasily on the countertops, banging against each other and creating a thunder of their own. Amidst all the noise sat Kagome, in a whicker chair that her mother had bought at a western store. It was set in a part of the house that had several more of the western-style furnishings, so that it fit in.

Uneasily she would shift whenever the sky boomed, cracking loudly, and tap her pen in time with a happy, sugary song that had popped into her head. A chill went up her spine several times as a sudden cold breeze swept by. Altogether, she was very jittery and nervous. She had never known herself to be like this during even worse thunderstorms before. So why was she all strung up about it now?

Biting the end of the pen thoughtfully, she collected her things and headed for her own room. She always felt more comfortable there anyway. _'I hope mom and them aren't getting wet.' _She thought as she climbed the steps, awkwardly trying to keep her books in her arms.

She arrived in her room, still a little tense and set up her things, promptly going back to her studies. She couldn't let herself be distracted, there was still too much she had to do.

Kagome went on fine for a little while; soon finding herself absorbed in the text, though it held an empty meaning to her. She scowled at her History textbook. It had no records of her friends' escapades, and denied the fact that demon's existed. She could hardly believe she had gone along with such a fact before. A feeling of uselessness found it's way into her as she looked over the brief chapter summaries of Feudal Japan. Not a word, not a single word about Tetsusaiga the infamous demon blade, of Sesshoumaru, emotionless ruler of the Western Lands and possibly still the ruler. She scoffed at it derisively, giving it a scornful look.

She sighed. She couldn't possibly expect them to know, could she? It was definitely a big part, their war against Naraku, but. . .they were only human, and they could only understand so much. . .

What was she supposed to say to them anyway if she contacted them about how illegitimate their book was. "Hey, you see right here? Well, right here should be our story. . .Oh, you don't know it, well, it all started fifty years ago. . .and yeah, I'm her reincarnation, and I got pulled in to this well, but it's just a well now, and. . ."

Yeah, they'd buy it. They'd give her a one-way ticket to the loony bin that's what they'd give her.

A sudden, brilliant clap of thunder accentuated by a bright flash of white lightening made her flinch, almost jumping out of her skin in fright. A yelp of fear escaped her lips as she heard something crack loudly. It sounded like wood snapping, and she wondered if the God Tree was all right. Peering out, she found that the flash of lightening had dazzled her eyes. Rubbing them, she tried again to peer through the rain at the God Tree, but couldn't see it.

The rain fell with renewed force, making her think it might pound right through the roof. Shivers ran up her spine. Instinctively, Kagome spun toward her door, but saw nothing. Turning back to the window, she wondered why she kept feeling like something really bad was happening.

* * *

He was free! Free from that blasted tree and all it's Holy bindings. He laughed to himself thoughtfully as he flexed his fingers, narrowing his blood red eyes at the rain that was falling so heavily on him. 

Naraku stopped in his thoughts of regained freedom as he picked up on a strong, pure power. He recognized it immediately.

It was like Kikyou's: soft, enchanting, melodic, soothing, but somehow different in it's own way. A different kind of determination and love laced through the pure tones, creating a new song out of an old melody. It far outshone the original, but one had to listen very clearly to it's sweet song to notice this.

Now, standing in the pouring rain he could hear it loudly, above even the pounding of the water all around him. Beating in time to the ever-present symphony of nature, twining in and moving out, creating it's own solo tune at times. But there was a slight distortion in it, as there always is in human auras when they have a powerful emotion suddenly take over. This time, the bold, whisper tones of fear and apprehension, nervousness was heard, quivering lightly in the song, though it still flowed on.

Naraku smirked to himself, his red eyes gleaming brightly in the pure white, watery downpour. How perfect that his prey be so close and within his grasp when he reawakened.

Looking about, he discovered that the world had vastly changed from what he remembered, but he had been in the God Tree for sometime. He couldn't have assumed that time would stand still, that progress would be forsaken.

Chuckling darkly, he strode toward the direction of the miko wench's aura. What a surprise she would get when she saw him again.

* * *

Kagome gasped as she felt it, the revival of a dark aura from long ago. Her heart pounded in her chest. She thought about going downstairs for the telephone, but what good would that do her if she were correct in her assumptions? Then nothing would be able to save her, and she would only be calling for help that could not come. She shivered; wishing fleetingly that Inuyasha was nearby. She waited to glimpse the red haori, but she knew he wasn't coming. . . 

She opened her eyes again to see crimson red meet her outside the window. She yelped. Lightening flashed, and the supposed illusion was gone again.

Kagome sighed with relief, after sitting on the floor, dazed and puffing for air hurriedly. That had scared her way too much, for a minute there, she had thought she had seen. . .

"Hello, miko."

She froze, rigid and unsure of how to react. She recognized that voice, and the weird thud of water droplets on wooden floor and carpet informed her that she was not simply imagining it. She swallowed and turned slowly to see that her assumption was correct.

He was here, not only was he there, standing in her doorway, smirking, but he had the nerve to be alive and looking healthy as ever as well.

_'N-Naraku!'_But how! It wasn't possible! He had been sealed inside of the God Tree. . .

He smirked at the fear radiating off of her suddenly. Her aura sang with terror, and it filled him with pleasure. He could drown in it almost.

Water rolled down his fingers, dripping on the floor in the silence as she quaked, uncertainty showing in her vision.

His smirk grew larger, showing one of his sharp-tipped fangs in a sneer. How would he make her suffer first? There was no one else around, so he could not force her to watch as he killed them in front of her eyes. And everything around here was foreign to him. How much time had passed since his 'death'?

Well, he would have to settle for the direct approach then, though he wanted to draw out her torture. She _had _locked him away and destroyed the Jewel; he wouldn't allow her to go unpunished for that. How _lucky _she was that her spell had come undone at such an opportune moment. Not even the hanyou or any of her other silly little friends were around to bother him now either.

"Naraku. . .But how did you. . .?" Kagome was finally able to find her voice and defiantly stood, regaining her composure, though she was still shocked that he was alive.

"You better not have hurt the God Tree, Jii-chan would have your head." She added in a warning tone. She was aware of how childish that sentence had sounded, but she couldn't stop it, it had splurged out before she could correct herself.

He raised an eyebrow at her mockingly. Her life was on the line and all she was worried about was that blasted, ruddy tree? She had always been strange that way, even back when they had been fighting against each other for the Jewel.

"I am surprised you are no different from when we last met." He said casually, looking her over. Indeed, she had not changed even slightly, except for a change of clothing. Like time had stood still for her while the rest of the world had been going on about its business.

She was visibly taken aback by the mention of this, and the song of her aura changed again to add a touch of nervousness, a secret being hidden in the shadows, quite clear, but quite complex at the same time. He narrowed his red eyes on her; so, she had a secret he had not been able to solve, then?

"What is it you are hiding?" He demanded of her.

Kagome's mouth opened to speak, but she shut it roughly again, glaring at him as she tried to figure a way out of this. Naraku was in her house, he was a hanyou and much faster than she was, so trying to run would be silly. The only other way out would be through the window, but that might be dangerous. Her mind briefly fluttered around the thought that someone was coming to save her, but she shoved it roughly away from her conscious. It was silly to hold such fancies any longer. She was tough enough to take care of herself, and this time there really was no one to save her. She had to save _herself _this time. She would have to stop relying on the strength of others in times of dire need.

She wasn't going to tell him anything; he could see it in her eyes. Fine, he would force the information out of her, probe her mind until he broke her and took the answers he wished for.

Rushing forward, he lifted her off the ground with one arm, the clawed hand pressed tightly around her white throat. She gasped, gagging slight shock. The tips of his claws nearly punctured through, making her squirm in pain, her tiny hands grasping either side of his in an attempt to relieve some of the pain.

Naraku tried not to wince. Just to touch her in this threatening way made his skin burn. The miko might not know it, but it was a reaction by her superior mystical powers. She surely didn't control it, but still it was there, protecting her.

A whimper escaped her feebly as she fought to get back on the ground. "Put me down!" She ordered harshly, daring to glare at him with those determined, sharp eyes of her. He watched her as if he was bored, but that look peeled away as he smirked.

"Tell me, miko: where's your hanyou now?"

Her face lit up in an emotion that he had not anticipated. A strange mixture of outrage, sadness, and desperation. There was another secret here too. Testing the air and reaching out for auras, Naraku found that there were no familiar ones for a good mile or so at least. What was this?

Naraku shifted his gaze back to Kagome who was still trying to release herself from his tight grasp. "What fool trick is this, miko? This place is strange. . ." He commented to himself in an undertone.

Kagome fought with herself internally over whether or not she should break the news to him that he was five hundred years in the future. On one hand he might be so thrilled to learn that there were no longer any obstacles in his way that he might just take over the world immediately. Or, on the other hand, he might be extremely ticked off by this outcome and kill her in his rage and _then _take over the world, or whatever he was planning on doing. Neither seemed very good for her or anybody else. She had to find a way to seal him away or divert his attention somehow. Easier said than done when it was Naraku, though. . .

Naraku could feel it, he had felt it slightly before, but he had drawn it up to something caused by the Goshinboku and ignored it. But now, as his finger pads and claws snapped around the miko wench's throat, he could feel his youkai powers draining away from him. And it was disappearing at an alarming rate, disappearing to where he wasn't sure; it was just leaving, as if drained into the miko herself. His eyes widened slightly. That was it, the miko was purifying him!

He suddenly set her down roughly on her feet. Crossing the room, he sat down crossed legged on the edge of her bed, watching her intently for a moment. Though he was staring, there were many thoughts other than Kagome swimming through his head at that time. First off, he had not felt his power coming back when he had released the miko, nor had he when he stepped farther and farther away from her. The power seemed to be decreasing of it's own accord. Possibly initiated by the miko's powers, but no longer in any way attached. He frowned in his thoughts. Another thing was puzzling him. Inuyasha and his silly friends should have sensed his presence by now or at least have come looking for the young miko in rain like this, but they seemed to have disappeared utterly from the face of the earth. He could not even sense their auras . . .

"What is going on here? Why is it that the smell of the hanyou and your companions has diminished?"

He looked around at her room with a careful eye, investigating every little thing now that he had a good view. It was all so foreign to him. . .only a few things were familiar and even those seemed strange in this place as well. . .

Naraku looked up sharply at Kagome when she hesitated in answering him. "Well, miko?" He demanded.

Kagome frowned at him, glaring darkly. "For starters you can call me by my name: 'Ka-go-me.' And why should I tell you anything? I don't owe you any explanations." She felt unexpectedly daring all of a sudden. A tingle of fear was still there, and a hint of anxiety, but nothing so serious that she was sitting in shock again. It wasn't any of his business anyway what had happened. . .ok, maybe it was, but if he really cared, he could get the news from someone else.

"Miko." He said in a warning tone, narrowing red eyes on her.

Kagome narrowed her eyes back. Who did he think he was lounging around in her room like this and demanding things of her after threatening her life?

He rose from his seat, coming at her in an angered rush. Kagome flinched, pulling back so that she was almost pressed against the roll-back door that separated the rest of her room from a little closet in which her nice kimono's and clothes hamper were stowed. He didn't get too close, and she wondered why his claws had not already crushed her by now, he simply loomed over her darkly, glaring at her like he desperately did want to kill her.

Why didn't he? It would be too easy for him, she wondered to herself, though she wasn't going to complain. She liked being alive, despite how lonely and empty she felt at the moment.

Naraku was about to say something when he picked up an incoming presence. Three small, minor auras were heading toward the house. None of which did he recognize at all.

When Kagome heard the key in the door, and the slide as the front door was opened, she froze. Her family was home! Her mother called out for her the moment her foot stepped inside, and her brother was heard racing around, coming toward the stairs in search of her. The young miko paled.

Her eyes darted to Naraku who looked intrigued and gave her a dark smirk before going toward the door. Kagome cried out, a small 'eep' of surprise before lashing out. Her other hand latched onto the handle of her closet door, sliding it open rapidly.

Stepping back, she tugged harshly on his kimono, swinging him toward the open closet door. Somehow, using all her strength, she managed to shove him inside. She didn't dare look inside as she slammed the door shut and locked it tightly. Inside there was a crash as he fell into her hamper and then tore the clothes from the hooks in the confined space, searching for a handhold. Kagome winced. She hoped he didn't tear her nice blue and gold kimono. . .

He hadn't gone but half a pace from her by then, so it wasn't a far distance, but she never thought she would manage it at all. Letting out a little sigh of relief, she was a little jittery as she stepped out of her room, trying to intercept her younger brother.

Souta was still in the hallway, his head just appearing over the top of the steps. "Kagome, Kagome!" He called cheerily, trying to tell her something between gasps for breath. He seemed very excited.

Kagome raised an eyebrow at him; she was still a little pale from the tangle with Naraku as she approached her younger brother. Souta pulled on her hand as she got close to the steps, just like he had when he was much younger.

"Onee-chan, you won't believe what happened while we were out! Jii-chan's really upset, but I think it's too cool!" He exclaimed happily, all aglow. Kagome raised her eyebrows higher. What was he babbling on about? If Jii-chan was upset then. . .She reeled slightly. Naraku had busted a hole in the God Tree, hadn't he?

"W-what happened?" She questioned as her brother lead her downstairs.

* * *

Downstairs her mother was already busying herself with getting ready for dinner. "Oh, dear, did you get a lot of your schoolwork done?" Her mother questioned. 

In a bit of a daze, Kagome looked at her and gave her a small, sheepish smile. "Yeah." She lied. Well, she had gotten a good deal done, but not all that she had set out to do, thanks to Naraku's intrusion.

Jii-chan sat near the dinner table, legs crossed. His eyes looked watery and sad as he peered helplessly at the table. "The Goshinboku. . ." He whimpered slightly. "My beautiful Goshinboku. . .you had just bloomed this spring too. . ."

Kagome felt bad for her Jii-chan in that instant. For all the times he had terrorized her with his horrid stories, she felt truly sorry for him. She knew what it was like to loose something that you absolutely loved.

Souta drug her to the window. "See? See?" He questioned, pointing outside.

Kagome looked out into the rain and spotted the tree. She cringed suddenly. The Goshinboku looked like it had been torn open from the inside out. The inside was as black as charcoal, as if someone had set fire to the inside. She felt saddened looking out at it, tears threatened to spill as they stung her eyes. The last thing, one of the last things that tied her to that age so long ago, to all of her friends. It was gone, defiled and broken in such a horrible way. True, it probably still lived on, it was a very powerful tree after all and had probably seen much worse, but it was still so horrible to see. The poor thing, and it was all her fault for sealing Naraku up inside of it in the first place.

A spark of anger lit in her as her Jii-chan sighed with loss again. Her mother equally saddened, but said nothing. Ugh, she would _kill _Naraku when she got back to her room. The heartless bastard!

Souta seemed the only one that was excited by this. "What do you think did that, huh, Kagome? It had to be something really big and powerful. . ." He rambled off incessantly.

* * *

Kon'nichiwa minna-san! How have you all been lately?

V-chan is honored that so many reviews have been submitted, and not only that, but that her story has been placed in the NarKag community Into the Spiders Nest. **bow bow** I feel so loved. Hehe. Thank you so much minna-san!

Well, there's really nothing more I have to say here. Thanks again, I truly appreciate your support everyone! Ja'ne!

Review Please?


	4. Scroll Three Difficulty with Spiders

_A Single Wish_

By: OtakuSailorV

* * *

Scroll Three – Difficulty with Spiders

* * *

The Higurashi's had dinner at the same time as they had always had before, eating the food that Mrs. Higurashi had prepared. It was, as Jii-chan always commented, delicious, as if God Himself had concocted it. This always pleased Mrs. Higurashi and the children always agreed. The woman's cooking was very good.

When the meal was over and everyone was dismissed after helping wash the dishes, Kagome walked back to her room, making sure Souta was preoccupied with his video games before she opened the door to her room.

Surprisingly, she found that everything was in tact. It looked as if Naraku, who she assumed was still locked inside of her closet, had not tried to break out, as she knew Inuyasha would have. The inu hanyou would have splintered the door in half if he had had to. And would have busted her door down and taken off in search of her. His nose would have twitched irritably when he found her and he would yell until she had forced a few repeated 'Osuwari's' on him.

This fact made her nervous though. It was all too still in the room for her liking. She had not suspected this to happen. She had thought he would at least be in the room, waiting for her patiently, ready to strangle her when she reappeared. That was his way, or so she had presumed. She was frightened to go near her closet now, to go anywhere near where she knew he was contained. Maybe, if she could just keep her closet door locked for. . . She sighed wearily. No, that was no good either.

Wetting her lips nervously, she opened the door slowly, peering inside in a careful way.

Red eyes immediately gleamed in the dim light that had appeared in the dingy closet from underneath a pile of clothes. Her dirty laundry hamper lay on its side, it's contents strewed around. Her nice kimono was in tact and still on it's hanger, but everything else was half-off, lying around, or on top of his head, obscuring everything but those deadly crimson eyes that glared at her evilly.

She snapped the door back closed and this time did not lock it.

Kagome sighed as she leaned against the door, her shoulders heaving into it powerfully. What was she gonna do now. . . ?

A powerful force suddenly slid the door back. Kagome stumbled and awkwardly moved with the door. When it had opened fully, she found herself leaning against the adjacent door and looking to her left to spot Naraku emerging, odd clothing items strewn all over him.

The dark Lord looked quite peeved; his eyes were narrowed angrily as he stared across the room at the wall. A sock lay on the top of his head, and a random assortment of towels, shirts, pants and whatnot clung still to his own billowy clothing. One eyebrow seemed to twitch as he irritably picked the sock off of his head and dropped it on the floor as if it were contaminated. He turned his head toward Kagome just as it made a soft 'thud' sound on the floor.

He regarded her with that same agitated look, she could tell he was resisting the urge to kill her on the spot. She blinked in return, still plastered to the door.

"Would you mind explaining what that was all about?" He had meant it to be more of a question, but it came out as a tight growl.

She looked frightened, but she soon masked it expertly. He smirked at that. She might be able to hide her facial expressions well enough from her own kind, but it was all too plain to him what her reactions were. Her aura was continually pulsating; it's music soaring through the air.

"Like I was about to let my family know you're here." She snapped at him irritably, though there was a quavering fear behind her words. She seemed to have somehow convinced herself that she was indeed _not_ afraid of him, thus making her tone stronger and her eyes sharper with her anger.

"And what did you do to Jii-chan's tree?" She suddenly demanded. Her tone was sharp and derisive. She knew how much her grandfather cared for the God Tree; it was the pride of the family and the shrine to be caretakers of the ancient wood.

He stared at her blankly for a moment, not sure what to make of this. She was giving him a rather dirty look still.

"I would not be so impertinent if I were in your position, miko."

Her eyes flared, and her aura's little music flew into an outraged crescendo, sparking and snapping at him as if intending to frighten him. It only proved more humorous though it was a little startling how much she dared yell at him. _He_, the one who could snap her neck without much of an effort.

"In _my_ position?" She bristled. "_You're_ the one that came barging into _my_ home! If anyone is in a bad position here, it's **you**!"

Naraku smirked at her in a way that made her fall instantly silent, though there was still that rebellious air around her. "_I_ am in a bad position?" He inquired lightly.

"Yes, _you_!" Kagome retaliated.

"How so?" Naraku asked, sitting down on the edge of her bed, acting as if he were interested. Kagome's temper flared again, she seemed to be trying to control herself for fear of something. His gaze lingered to her bedroom door, which had been shut and he knew what it was. She didn't want to raise her voice too much, knowing her family would hear her.

"How is it that I am in a bad position, yet you are not?" He went on when she did not immediately reply. "Must I remind you of who I am?"

Kagome gave him a stern look; she opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off before she could take charge again.

"And why is it that I am in the bad position when it is just you here, miko? I do not see your dog-eared mutt with you, nor your frivolous monk, nor that silly woman that claimed to know how to slay youkai." He said, touching on the old wound from before. Kagome visibly winced at his comments and he smirked, pleased with this reaction.

Kagome took in a deep breath and held it, staring at him with a look that spoke of deep loathing. She hated him; she would do anything to get rid of him right then. But then again, he was living, breathing truth that all her 'adventures' had not been just a simple dream. And she wondered now how she had ever come to think of them as that. True they were far too fantastical to ever be considered legitimate, but there was no denying it.

"Shut up." She hissed at him defiantly, bowing her head to hold back tears that needed to be shed. They had been held up too long, and with the realization that everything was true, she felt sadness wash over, despair so great she wanted to die to rid herself of it. "Shut up, you have no right to say those things."

Her fists shook at her sides, and he watched as she trembled, holding down sobs and trying to act as if everything were all right so as not to appear weak in front of him. He smirked at her again.

Kagome lifted her head after a moment, her eyes still swimming behind a veil of tears that had not left her yet. Her bottom lip trembled slightly and there was a knot in her throat, whenever she drew a breath to speak she felt the tears start to leak, forbidding her access to words.

"Well, miko? Where are your beloved hanyou and your friends? Surely they would have sensed my presence by now, and I know them not to abstain from fighting me at any opportune moment. And they would not want you to be harmed, of all people." He continued mockingly.

Kagome blanked, he really had no idea did he? He had no idea that they were stuck in the future, that he was in the twenty-first century, hundreds of years after her travels in the Sengoku Jidaii.

She still managed to glare and raise an eyebrow at him at the same time. In one of her rapid mood changes that she felt she often had, she rubbed her hand into her forehead, blinking back the tears and sniffling a little at this new problem. "What am I gonna do?" She mumbled to herself.

Without another word she strode from the room, slightly angry and very frustrated. He got up, making an attempt to follow her, but she turned on her heel when she heard him following. She gave him a warning look, and he just stared at her, furrowing his brow in anger. "You can't follow me." She informed him in a tight tone.

Naraku's eyebrows raised and he turned his eyes down the hall, spotting the wet marks on the floor where he had walked. His gaze found a partially open door where a wan light shown out and noises from inside directed his attention. He could smell the scent of her sibling and her family from all directions. Of course she didn't want him to find them. . . "I do not follow orders from anyone, miko."

"Stay here." Kagome ordered, trying to get her hand on the door handle. She knew it would do little good, he could easily break the door if he wanted to. But still she couldn't have him following her everywhere.

He pushed passed her with a glare. "I will do as I please."

Kagome sighed, glaring at his back. Her eyes fell on the floor at that moment and she gaped at the water that was everywhere. It was easy to tell someone had been out in the rain, someone larger than Souta.

Hurriedly she went to get a towel from out of her room, and when she returned, she found that Naraku was peering into her brother's room. She gasped and charged at him, pushing him away roughly, though it took some effort since he was planted firmly in place.

The dark hanyou did not take kindly to this treatment and turned on her icily as she closed her brother's door. He hadn't even noticed the ruckus outside of his room.

Angrily, Kagome slammed the towel on the ground and placed her foot on top, dragging it around over the watermarks and making them disappear immediately. "What do you think you're doing?" She hissed at him angrily, vexed.

He glared daggers at her, what he wouldn't give to snap her neck for her insolence, but he knew his youkai powers had all but diminished by then and he dared not touch her, knowing that what little he had left would leave him. He had to save the power for a later time. "You would do well to remember your place, miko." He said testily, just about growling at her.

Kagome wished he would keep his voice low. "My place?" She hissed again, growing very angry with him. "My place? **You** are the one intruding in **my** home!"

"I can do what I please, I do not need to ask permission of anyone."

"You are impossible! You can't be seen here, do you understand that? Just listen for once!" She felt as if she was arguing with Inuyasha, and she winced at the thought. She never thought she would argue with Naraku in anywhere near the same way she had with the silver haired hanyou.

"Kagome? Do you have a friend with you?" Her mother's voice came from the bottom of the steps and Kagome's heart nearly stopped. She felt frazzled, and wished none of this had ever happened to her.

"No, mom." She called back; it was a half-truth. Naraku wasn't her friend, but she knew what her mother had meant in that inquiry. She had wanted to know who had dragged the water around the house, and whom her daughter was quarreling with in a hushed tone.

"Are you sure? I thought I heard you talking to someone."

"No, mom, it's nothing." Kagome replied in the same smiling tone. Naraku was frowning at her performance.

When she heard her mom walk away, her heels clicking in a simple rhythm, fading in the distance. Her grandfather's wheezing voice was heard calling for her mother and she strayed even farther.

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief and turned on Naraku, glaring. What could she do? She couldn't send him anywhere, he wouldn't listen, but she couldn't have him waltzing all over the place either. It would be easier if her family wasn't home. For the first time, she wished she were alone. All alone.

"Look, you stay in my room. Are you hungry or something?" She couldn't believe she was saying that. She sounded like she was trying to be friendly with him. And she definitely did not want to sound like she was trying to be _his_ friend.

He was still frowning, though he did finally turn and walk back to her room on soft, padded feet. Perplexed by his sudden change, she watched the doorway for a while before knocking on her brother's door.

Souta came out right away and beamed up at her, though he was raising his eyebrows in puzzlement. "What's the matter, Sis? You look angry."

Kagome sent a withering, suspicious glance toward her doorway, just waiting for Naraku to pop up suddenly. "I, uh, need you to help me with something, Souta." She said absentmindedly before ushering her brother down the steps before her. Like Hell she was going to leave him alone in the upstairs while Naraku was loose in the house.

She couldn't guarantee that he'd stay in her room, but she wanted to make sure her family was well enough away from the place if he did happen to wander back out again. She hoped for the first time in her life that Naraku would stay put until she came back.

* * *

Naraku waited until the sound of the miko and her younger sibling were a decent distance away before reemerging from her compartment. It was annoying to have that human ordering him around all the time, but there was nothing to be done, his powers were dissipating quickly; he couldn't kill her or anyone here unless he got his youkai powers back first. 

He could still investigate though, for it seemed that Kagome wasn't going to tell him one thing about what was going on around here.

The dark hanyou stopped as something caught his eye. A picture, hanging on the wall, shielded by that rare entity that was known as 'glass' was spotted. A slight glare on the glass caused it to shine, and as he passed, he saw it flash out of the corner of his eye.

He had not noticed it before, when he had been preoccupied with the wench and her insatiable need to boss him around. But now it stood out from the wall hung on a nail. He wondered over how acute the painting was, for he could tell it was no regular painting. This one depicted the entire family seated together, smiling. It was so lifelike, so well done, he was taken aback immediately by it, but the closer he inspected it the more he could tell it was no painting at all. This- this- this whatever it was, was something far better than any painting! But how had this been done? And the frame that held it, so ornate, such deft handiwork. It would take a human hand ages to form such a beautiful piece!

His brows furrowed as he leaned back from the hanging masterpiece. Something was definitely amiss here; just how much time _had_ elapsed since the miko had pinned him to that blasted tree?

* * *

Finally a new chapter for you all. Sorry for the horribly long wait, I never seemed to remember to update this story, even though I've got a good deal done on it so far. My apologies for this, I'll be sure to get to work and push out more chapters soon. 

Thanks to those of you out there for your reviews and your patience. Also, thanks to the c2 communities that are hosting this fic, I truly appreciate it. Hee. Does Naraku seem OOC? Sorry, perfectionist is going crazy inside of me.

Thanks again and see you soon. Ja'ne!

Review Please?


	5. Scroll Four Onigiri

_A Single Wish _

By: OtakuSailorV

* * *

Scroll Four – Onigiri

* * *

Kagome kept looked distractedly over her shoulder as she ushered her younger brother into the kitchen and searched for something to occupy him with. Souta was watching her with raised eyebrows, questioningly staring up at his elder sibling who was pushing him hurriedly through the rooms while nervously looking around her.

"Are you feeling ok, Onee-chan?" He asked, worried.

Kagome looked down at him and gave him a big smile which had formed under the anxious pressure that had built up, and not from glee of any kind. "I'm fine, Souta. Will you help me uhm," she looked around uselessly.

Her eyes fell on the rice cooker and she immediately brightened as she saw it was on. "Make rice balls?" She said, brightening as she found the perfect diversion.

His sister's strange behavior made Souta watch her carefully and quizzically for a moment, but he couldn't figure out anything that might be causing her to act this way. He had never known her to get jumpy during a thunderstorm, so it couldn't be the rain, which was still rattling angrily outside.

"Uh. . .ok." Coming over beside his sister, who had already begun the task of making rice balls, he continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye as he began as well.

* * *

Naraku wandered through the halls, trying to found some indication of how much time had elapsed, maybe even a current date if he was lucky! He stayed well enough away from the rooms where he had human goings on, so as not to cause a scene with any of the family.

It was not a matter of appeasing the miko wench, but for his own sake. He did not need to be interrupted at such a crucial time over something as trivial as confusion on a silly human's part.

Crimson glowed in the dark hallways, the reflection of water running down window pans highlighting his features at times, giving him an almost eerie countenance as he passed through one dingy room to the next.

The lights were out, so Naraku did not spy the electric sun yet, but he was already quite disturbed with the amount of glass in the house, and the number of those strangely accurate 'paintings' hanging on the walls with their ornate carved frames. He couldn't figure out for the life of him how many years had gone by. Whatever all of this was, it was quite advanced and it disturbed him to some extent, though he would never admit it.

Lightening flashed and a moment later, a loud rumble of thunder was heard, making the ground rock gently in motion with it's deep guttural roar. Naraku wondered at that too. The floor was different as well; there were rugs and even a rather large one extending throughout an entire room in some areas. Unlike his castle which had had barely any of the ornate weavings, and only simple wooden floors. And even those were not the same, these seemed polished, slick and slippery compared to the ones that had been in his castle.

He stopped as he found himself in what appeared was a room designed as a sort of study. There were books, some with words in an entirely different language written under the Japanese characters. None of the titles were one he had ever heard of, but one particular one caught his eye.

The character for 'world' caught his eye, it was big and bold, standing out against the other books quite nicely in it's rich binding and rather thick spine. He immediately went to it and picked it off the shelf, flipping through feverishly as he took a seat.

Naraku was used to dim light, so he didn't need to squint to see the tiny characters scrawled across each page.

His mind buzzed, and he read faster and faster as he found that the events and years described were at least three hundred years ahead of when he had been sealed in the tree.

Steam boats, trains, radio, television, all of these strange phenomenon's. . .just what how many years had he been locked away!

He came to the last page, the year 199X was inscribed on the top, and the last few words at the bottom suggested that perhaps even more time had elapsed since then. Flipping back, he wondered at more of the wonderfully accurate paintings, which he now understood to be called 'photographs.' They all featured something he had never seen before.

There were even pictures of foreign countries, detailed maps in rich colors as well. He had never seen anything like it.

Strange people, their skin pale, their eyes gleaming colors that were unusual for the humans he was used to dealing with. Their hair was different colors as well, instead of dark brown or black, like the humans around him; these had lighter colored hair. Their teeth gleamed unusually white like demons, and they wore things over their eyes that made them look as if they had bug eyes. What were they? Humans as well?

He smacked the book closed decisively, frowning. So this was what she was hiding. She was not from his time at all. There was the possibility that she had gained eternal youth, but he would have known if that were true.

Standing, Naraku decided he would search out other books as well before confronting Kagome on these things. It was most bothersome that she was so bull-headed and stubborn.

There was a crunching sound as he slid his swiveling chair back away from the desk. It sounded like paper crumbling and he immediately turned to see what he had mangled with the wheels of the chair.

A newspaper lay on the floor, his sudden movement had torn the headlining news, and the picture rumpled so that it wasn't distinct any longer.

Naraku, leaning down, picked it up and smoothed it out on the desk, glaring at the date that showed at the top.

20XX.

* * *

Kagome smiled at her brother when they had finished the last of the rice, forming it into onigiri. She rolled her eyes as she realized she was gonna have to give Naraku some kind of food if she didn't want him wandering around in search of his own.

Souta was watching her with a critical kind of curiosity, his brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you going to do with those now?" He asked as Kagome picked up the tray with the onigiri on it and started to head for the stairs.

"They're a snack for while I study." She lied. She stopped when she was about to turn back away, spying someone moving in the opposite room. A tall, dark figure that looked oddly familiar. _'N-Naraku!'_

Kagome nearly dropped the platter in shock, her mouth agape. Souta's eyebrows raised at the odd look on his sister's face, and turned to follow her gaze. Noticing, she instantly snapped back to herself and Kagome immediately was at his side, pushing him toward the hallway by the steps, away from the kitchen and Naraku in the empty dining room. "Uh, you better go Souta, I think I heard mom calling you."

"But Onee-chan, mom's outsi-" His voice caught at the death glare his sister had on her face, though it wasn't necessarily directed at him.

She loomed over him menacingly as she spoke in an icy tone.

"Just go, Souta."

"O-Ok, Onee-chan."

Kagome slammed the sliding doors decisively behind her as she stomped into the next room to confront her enemy. What was he doing downstairs, and in **_that_** room? How had she missed him coming down the steps?

Naraku sat at the head of the traditional Japanese dining table set up in the room, looking as if he belonged there. He was very calm and composed and looked at her in a manner that infuriated her further. How dare he just sit there as if nothing were the matter!

She shut the sliding doors connecting the dining room to the living room and the kitchen and sat down on her legs, glaring at her angrily. "What are you doing?" She demanded.

As soon as she had finished speaking, he brought forth a mass of papers, documents, and one large book that Kagome recognized from her father's old library. The newspaper had been crumpled; it was one of the ones her grandfather left lying around the house all the time. "What foolery is this, miko?" He replied, jabbing a clawed finger at the date on the top of the paper.

Kagome blinked at it for a moment, a small knot of dread forming in the pit of her stomach, this was what she had been afraid of. What was she going to do now, tell him everything or lie? He would probably catch her at lying though he was no fool. She'd have to tell the truth, well, as much as she was willing to tell that is.

"Welcome to the future." She said with a grim smile at him, glad that she had a bit of an advantage. Would the truth shake him? She hoped so; she wanted to see him frightened. She made a face at the feeling that had just welled up inside of her. That wasn't like her at all, she stuffed it away.

A dark look crossed his features, as he seemed to contemplate this. "How long have I been in that blasted tree, miko?" He glared at her in a way that sent shivers up her spine.

"I'd say about five-hundred years." Kagome replied casually, resting her head in her hand nonchalantly and her elbow on the tabletop.

Five-hundred! Well, that would account for the disappearance of all of his enemies so suddenly, but what of this girl. How had she come to look the same all these years? It was as if she had not aged a day since the last time he had seen her.

The memory of being sealed inside the tree was still fresh in his mind and he seethed at the fact that so weak a girl had so much power over him. It was because of her that he could not use his youkai powers either, he was sure of it. Something about the house was too pure he couldn't escape it.

"What does that make you, little priestess?" He mused, smirking at her. He took pleasure in the fact that her guard immediately went up and she stopped leaning on the wooden table, glaring at him again. "If it's been five-hundred years, all your friends are dead, but what of you? You're no older from that day."

When she made no answer he laughed, having figured it out for himself long ago. She had somehow managed to jump times, hadn't she? He wasn't sure how, but she had managed it. Naraku was positive this was the same girl, yes, it was, she could be no other but that miko wench that had trapped him in the tree all those years ago. But how had she done?

"What do you have to say to that, hm?"

* * *

Dude! I've been gone so long! I feel like I haven't written anything in forever! Like I fell off the face of the earth! Woah, sorry, I'm just...yeah.

Anyway, sorry about the uber uber long wait this time minna-san. V-chan has been very busy and she does not have much time for her compy anymore. It makes her very sad...I hope you enjoyed and i'm sorry but I have to cut my author's note for now since I want to update as much as possible tonight! Ja'ne!

Review Please?


	6. Scroll Five Well House

_**A Single Wish**_

By: OtakuSailorV

* * *

Scroll Five – Well House

* * *

"What do you have to say to that, hm?"

Kagome stiffened; did he know? What should she tell him? Surely not that she had gone through the well. . .oh, what could it hurt? The darkness plagued her again, gnawing at her until she seemed almost depressed. Her mind drifted to a scene from what seemed long ago, a happy 'family' sitting on a sunny hill, taking a break from their daily task of chasing Naraku. She brushed it away, making a face as she looked at him pointedly and blurted the truth out before she changed her mind.

"The well."

Naraku looked back at her almost as if he were shocked. _Almost_, mind you. He was just rather taken aback by her tone and look on her face. He had suspected her to resist further, to lie outright and provoke him to force the truth out of her. But from the looks of it, she wasn't lying at all. "The well?" He echoed, puzzled by her meaning.

"The well." She repeated, then added: "The well house has been built around it since, but it's still there. The old wooden well from Inuyasha's Forest."

The name of the boy she had formerly loved fell from her lips with an odd kind of chill. She shivered as a pale face came to mind, the golden eyes watching her protectively and yet sadly. She tucked his image away safely and snuggly.

Ah, that old thing. He had felt a kind of magic from it at one time, when he had passed, but he had not thought much of it and had forgotten it until now. It was rumored that it had once been built from the wood of the Goshinboku, wasn't it? That would explain it's magical properties if it was.

So, that was it was it? The girl was from the future and had used the old well to cross time and space. It was the common factor on both planes, thus the ability for her to cross so easily. Others might have had a less easy ride if there had been no common factor in the transport.

So. . .five hundred years was it. . .That was a lot of time for things to progress, he would have to immediately learn of what had happened when he had lain dormant and adjust to this time. There was no Shikon any longer, but he felt something coming on the horizon and he planned to meet it full-force.

He smirked at the miko-child that sat across from him, looking composed; though there seemed some troubled look in her eyes. What was it? What was it that she seemed worried about now? He had gotten the truth out of her, at least, and that had not proved much of a hard task.

Frowning, he watched her, as she seemed lost in her own world, scowling at something as her eyes bored into the wooden table.

Kagome frowned to herself as she thought over it again and again. In the silence following her proclamation the words had suddenly cropped up in her mind again: **_"Every wish has a Yin and Yang."_**

It kept troubling her, poking out from the back of her mind and leering at her, teasing and taunting her with it's cryptic message. A Yin and a Yang? A dark and a light? What was this then? His reappearance; what would it be, the Yin or the Yang; the dark or the light? She couldn't for the life of her tell, an uneasy sense of foreboding was hanging over her, making her shiver as if a cold breeze had just blown by. She felt his crimson gaze on her, but said nothing, didn't even look up at him. She was too lost in her thoughts to care what he thought, not that she ever had.

Her eyes suddenly widened as she realized that she would be going back to school the next day. What was she going to do with him while she was at school? She couldn't push him into the well, it no longer worked, and she knew it would be a hard task bossing him around like she had Inuyasha. She hung her head sullenly. What was she going to do?

"Eh, Kagome, is that you in there?" Her grandpa's wheezing voice followed the sound of his shuffling feet against the wooden floors. His voice was still tinged with loss and sadness; she could kill Naraku for blowing that gaping hole in the tree!

Kagome drew in her breath sharply and looked at Naraku in a wild rush of panic. He smirked at her in amusement, waiting to see what she would do in this kind of predicament.

A thought struck her as she got to her feet and hurried out of the room, closing the sliding doors behind her to hide Naraku's presence in the room. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea, maybe her grandpa had some kind of trinket she could use to keep Naraku in check, kind of like Inuyasha's necklace.

"Hai, Jii-chan?" She called, catching him before he came into the room.

Her grandpa gave her an acknowledging glance. "Ah, there you are Kagome. I was wondering, could you help me in the shrine if you're not too busy with your homework?"

Kagome nodded willingly. "Sure, grandpa. I already finished my homework anyway." It was a half-truth, she had nearly completed all her homework, but she could finish the remaining few questions in math before she went to bed.

* * *

Naraku waited in the dimly lit room until he heard their footsteps disappear. How amusing, her family ran the shrine and she was the 'shrine maiden', just like her other self, Kikyou. He chuckled to himself darkly before collecting the books and newspaper he had brought with him and making his way back to Kagome's room.

* * *

It was just like her Jii-chan to make her sweep the shrine on a rainy day. She had tried to make idle conversation with him, starting by asking him if he had felt any dark aura's lately. Ok, so maybe it wasn't just idle chit-chat but it might seem plenty normal to him. 

"Dark aura's?" He asked, mulling over this question as he glanced soberly out the window into the downpour. ". . .No, I haven't."

Kagome sighed inwardly, of course he didn't.

The old man went on to tell of how in his youth he had been a 'great slayer of demons' and Kagome was sure he was talking about the dust bunnies in the corners rather than actual demons. Her grandpa didn't have the build of a Taijiya, not like Sango and Kohaku. . .Kagome shook her head to clear the thought of them from her mind. No, she wouldn't cry now.

"My poor Goshinboku. You know, your father used to love that tree more than I when he was still alive?" His wistful statement caught her attention, and Kagome once again ground her teeth at Naraku, though she knew it was really her fault for sealing him away in the first place.

What had Naraku done to the tree? She followed him to look out in the rain at the tree, leaving the broom to stand against the wall.

"My father?" She questioned as she walked over. She remembered very little of him from her childhood.

As she caught sight of the tree again, she felt as if she might cry at it's horrendous state. The once beautiful tree, that had watched her adventures with her friends, and had seen her grown up; that had been there for so long and had protected them; the tree that had allowed her to place a horrible demonic aura inside of it. It was ugly now, like any other tree, it's majesty sullied by her hand. Her poor God Tree, why had she put such a monster in it?

"Yes, your father really loved that tree- Ah, Kagome, dear, why are you crying?" Her Jii-chan thought she was crying for her lost father, but it was tearing her apart to see the tree in such a state.

Her connection to that world, the one thing that had kept her believing long before Naraku had reappeared now had a gaping hole in it's trunk and it was all her fault. She tried to move out into the rain, for some reason she had the sudden urge to run to it and hug it, no matter how silly that action was. Guilt was flooding her and pouring out her eyes in the shape of crystal tears that soaked her cheeks.

Finally, when she had composed herself, she wiped away the tears from her face and gave her grandpa an apologetic smile. "Gomen, Jii-chan, I just feel so horrible, the tree. . ." Kagome gestured uselessly at the ravaged bark and gaping hollow center painted black.

"The Goshinboku? It seems you hold your father's love for it." He gave her an easy-going smile before sighing sadly and looking as if he might cry again himself. "It is a shame, but that trees strong, it's not dead yet. I can't seem to figure out what did it though, maybe a very powerful demon that despises Holy trees." He mused to himself and immediately went to get some sort of charm to repel said demon.

Kagome suddenly remembered what she had wanted, maybe her grandpa's charms wouldn't work by themselves, but she might be able to use some of her latent miko powers to make them work correctly. "Oh, uhm, Jii-chan, I was wondering. . ."

* * *

Kagome sighed as she left the shrine with only a few charms and the powdered innards of some mythical creature that she had never heard of. He hadn't been much help at all in finding a spell to place on Naraku. 

As she remembered the dark monarch, Kagome quietly crept about, looking everywhere for him, but he didn't seem to be in any of the rooms, not even in her father's study. That she was glad of, she might really have blown her stack at finding him in her father's private room, no matter how long the man had been dead.

Her mother was in the kitchen with Souta, cleaning off the counter and helping Souta bake cookies that he was going to take to school the next day. She greeted them absently before making her way to her room. Well at least he hadn't gone and showed himself to her family. But that still didn't say where he was. . .

Confused, worried and a touch angry with him, she stomped up the steps to her room.

Peeking in cautiously before entering, she looked around but found that he was not there either. Suddenly it struck her that she could try sensing his dark aura. She nearly hit herself over the head for not thinking about that before. What was she thinking? Idiot!

Calming, she reached out with the sixth sense that she knew to be her miko powers and drew them back sharply when she wrapped immediately around the dark tendrils of his power. She shivered, she hated touching his aura, it was disgusting and cold, hard and cruel, totally different from her own.

Blinking, she opened her eyes with a start. He was in her room! But where?

Raising an eyebrow she turned her attention to her closet door, which was slightly ajar. She could see the dark aura creeping out like chilling mist, slithering across the floor and wrapping itself around everything. It backed away from her, her miko powers were strong enough to ward off its evil presence but still she shivered at the cold that she could not repel.

No. . .he wouldn't be. . .would he. . . ?

Kagome reached out a slender hand and slowly pulled back the sliding door to the closet, peering in curiously.

Red glinted from the darkest corner, a book was propped up in his lap, and he scowled at her. Kagome was speechless; unable to comprehend why he would sit in her closet and read in the dark. How was he even able to read without a light? Given he was half-demon, but this was ridiculous!

"What-?" Kagome was finally able to choke out, trying to not laugh at him again. He was really very odd.

Naraku just glared at her, frowning. After a moment he went back to reading the book, ignoring her presence. Kagome rolled her eyes in return. What was he doing? Surely he didn't think that he could stay here, did he? Well, he was sorely mistaken if he presumed that she was just going to forget everything he had ever done in the past and let him read peacefully in her closet. She wasn't sure how she was going to enforce that though, despite her anger and hatred of him, she knew that she was no match for him if a fight should erupt. Not only that, but she didn't want to endanger her family, and definitely wasn't about to alert them to his presence. She went around and around in her head about what she could possibly do, but got nowhere. The only thing that she could think of would be to get another one of those youkai restrainers that Inuyasha had had. But it wasn't likely that that would work on the dark hanyou, or even that there were any real ones in existence any longer. . .

Well, for the time being it looked as if she were helpless at least. And whatever his motives for not making any move against her yet, she wasn't exactly going to complain.

Sighing to herself, she decided that maybe it was best to finish up her math homework first and get that problem out of the way before facing off with Naraku again. Leaving the door open, she walked over to her bed to finish up the rest of her math homework. She glanced at the door several times, uneasy and not at all focusing on the homework she had wanted to finish before going to sleep. But how could she even think of sleeping or going to school when Naraku was sitting in her closet and reading her History textbook? This was just too weird. . .

She sighed again; just great, her arch nemesis was living in her closet and _still_ she felt an odd sense of foreboding weighing on her. What _else_ could possibly go wrong?

_Murphy's Law: "Anything that **can** go wrong, **will** go wrong."_

* * *

Yo, been a while, eh? Sorry 'bout that long delay, things happen though.

Thanks to those of you who have waited so patiently for me to update, and sorry to everyone as well. I'll get rihgt to work on the next chapter so you don't have to wait so long this time around.

I really want to stay and chat some more, but I have lots of other things to do now that I'm on spring break and I really need to get them finished as well. So terribly sorry once again and I hope you all enjoyed! Ja'ne!

Review Please.


	7. Scroll Six Creepy Crawly

_**A Single Wish**_

By: OtakuSailorV

* * *

Scroll Six – Creepy Crawly

* * *

It was time, the time she had been dreading since she had sat down to complete her homework. She had finished it, she had even gone as slowly as she could, trying to avoid this moment, hoping maybe it would never come, maybe her problem would solve itself. That was childish thinking though, and she reprimanded herself now for even thinking such silly things.

The time had come now, and she uneasily set down her pencil, wondering over and over again what she should say or even do.

Naraku was reading some book in her closet, and she sure as hell wasn't about to let him stay there. It was bad enough she had let him stay this long! But what was she supposed to do, and what the heck was _he doing_?

It just didn't make sense, and she was going round and round in circles in her head, wondering what the heck she was supposed to do with him.

If she made him leave, and he did by some stroke of luck, then who knew where he would take off to and what kind of trouble he would cause. Kagome was not about to let the sick freak out into her world where it would be harder to battle him than before. At least people had believed in demons back then!

Then again, if she made him stay, what would she do tomorrow, and where would she keep him so that her family wouldn't notice? Besides that, what would she do when she went to school tomorrow? It wasn't like this was Inuyasha she was dealing with!

She nearly broke her pencil in anxious frustration, what was she going to do?

Frowning to herself, she called up as much courage as she could, shooing away the nervousness and fright that threatened to consume her and block out any solid thoughts. Walking over to her closet, she slid the door open and peeked inside. The crimson met her curious gaze almost immediately, sharpening when her eyes adjusted to the lack of light.

"What are you doing?" She asked grumpily of him, trying to keep her voice even, which wasn't a hard task if she didn't think about how dangerous this situation really was.

"I am catching up on what I have missed in the past 500 years." He replied in his usual dull tone.

Kagome weighed her options; it would all come down on what she said next, whatever it was that she chose to say. She took a deep breath, wondering if what she was about to say was really the right thing to do.

"Could you come out here for a second?" She knew she shouldn't be asking, more like demanding. But she was exasperated and it was late, she really wasn't in the mood to deal with something like this, but it had to be done.

He studied her for a moment, and she wondered if he would refuse to do as she asked, but eventually he did get up, towering over her for a moment as if to try and intimidate her before going out. The book was still in one hand limply, dangling byits spine as he came out of the dark closet and stood in the middle of her room, watching her expectantly.

Another deep breath, oh how she dreaded saying this. Despite her other feelings though, she forced herself to be as strict and overbearing in her tone as she possibly could. If she showed any sign of weakness he was likely to exploit it.

"Alright, listen up," she demanded his attention sharply. "I'm not about to have you running all over the city doing Kami-sama knows what, so for now you'll have to stay here."

His expression didn't falter; his eyes gave no hint to his thoughts. Kagome continued, feeling much more like her old self now. "I can't chance my family seeing you though, so you'll have to stay in the old well house."

"And you expect me to go along with this plan of yours, miko? You think I do not have my own agenda to keep?" When he finally answered Kagome felt her spirit flicker for a moment in doubt before returning in its usual burst of flame.

"Yes, I do." She replied confidently.

He smirked in return and seemed about to laugh outright at her, but she kept her ground, keeping her face set in determination. If she were lucky – _extremely_ lucky – she might get him to comply.

"Besides," she continued before he had the chance to speak up again. "I don't have time to argue about this. Now move it!"

There, she had done it now. Ordered him like he were her little brother and pushing him toward her open window. He seemed to allow this rough treatment until he reached the windowsill. Naraku stopped and gave her a cold you-don't-know-who-you're-messing-with glare. The only trouble was that Kagome knew very well whom she was dealing with, and couldn't believe herself the idiotic course of actions she was choosing.

This was just not right! Keade had said that it was impossible for him to escape, and the Shikon's magic had bound him too! Had it been her wish that had freed him?

"Kagome, honey, are you still up? You should be in bed!" Her mother's scolding tone reached up the steps and through her doorway. Panicking, Kagome gave Naraku another hard shove without a second thought. She found it easier to operate if she didn't keep second-guessing and thinking about whom she was pushing around. He held his ground, not budging an inch under her force and continuing to glare at her reproachfully over his shoulder. Giving him another hard shove, his body swayed a bit, but his feet kept perfectly still. Damn! If only she had more brute strength!

Calling up her old miko powers, she wondered if she could channel them into her muscles as she gave him one last hard shove, her shoulder connecting with his spine smartly.

Naraku stumbled forward, seemingly taken by surprise, though Kagome was sure nothing ever took _him_ by surprise. Maybe she was wrong though, since he really did _look_ surprised when he tumbled on to the roof, the book clattering on the roof tiles behind him, and rolled down over the edge to the ground below. It must have been her imagination though.

Kagome gasped when she heard the hard 'thump' that he made when he hit the ground below, a small cloud of dirt rising up and settling back down slowly. Oh no, what if her family had heard that! Idiot! What had compelled her to push Naraku out the window? And where had she gotten the strength to push him anyway? She would have at least have suspected him of defending himself a bit, it was almost like he wasn't a hanyou. . .

Kagome looked at her hands for a moment, wondering if her miko powers had any input on her new ability to literally push Naraku around.

"Kagome? Kagome, are you alright, dear?" Her mother's footsteps were coming up the steps hurriedly. Kagome swiftly tried to come up with an excuse for the sound of something falling off the roof. . .An experiment with the force of gravity, maybe?

* * *

Damn the little wench for suddenly gaining so much power! This was the most humiliating thing he had ever undergone so far! How dare she push him out that second-story window! The nerve of that- 

Naraku growled as he picked up the book that had landed on the ground beside him. He was angry that he had only just barely managed to jump to his feet before hitting the ground. If he had not lost nearly all of his powers already, he would throttle the girl. As it was, he could barely get near her without receiving what humans might call a 'static shock.' Touching her would only result in a sharper sensation that would dull his powers further, and he could not afford that at this point.

He was not about to let her think she had the upper hand though, he would keep up the façade as long as possible if need be. He would have to figure out a way to get his powers back though, and _soon_.

Glaring up at the window where Kagome still stood, her back to him now, his red eyes flashed briefly in the dark before he grudgingly turned toward the Goshinboku.

* * *

It had taken every ounce of her focus to lie to her mother about the strange noise. She could tell her mother was still suspicious, but she couldn't find any proof of her suspicions, whatever they were, and left with a worried glance at the window. 

Kagome sighed when she was gone, relieved that she had not looked out, and that none of her family had gone outside in search of the maker of the strange sounds. Looking back out, she waited for her eyes to get used to the sudden dark before glancing about fitfully for any sign of Naraku.

There wasn't anything though, and she felt her blood run cold. Oh no, she had released him on the world! Idiot, idiot, idiot!

Flicking her lights off she cautiously poked her head out her window. It would be best if everyone thought she was asleep.

She propped herself up on the sill and carefully tried to get her footing. She was aware that with one small slip she would go crashing down as well, or maybe even cut her foot open on one of the ceramic shingles.

Oh come on, she had been through worse than this back in the Sengoku Jidaii and she was not about to let Naraku loose in her world. Even if she wasn't sure how she could exactly _stop_ him from doing anything, she had to at least try.

Gingerly, like a cat, she climbed out of the window and eased down it slowly, making sure to feel with her feet before taking a step. Fortunately, the roof wasn't that dangerous at all if she was careful and she made it to the lowest corner of the roof with little trouble at all, though she had to go around all of the windows in complete silence. Lightly she jumped down from the roof, landing awkwardly and painfully on the hard dirt and stone ground. She winced but the fall hadn't hurt too much, just a mild throb in her bones from landing in the wrong position.

Quickly she moved away from the house and tried to calm herself, reaching out with her miko powers in search of Naraku's dark shouki. She found it almost immediately and was surprised by how close it was and that it was actually stationary instead of moving swiftly away from her position. She felt a wave of realization and surprise sweep through her as she picked up his aura though; her eyes widened.

_'Naraku's shouki…why is it…disappearing?' _

* * *

Naraku stiffened as he stood looking at the ruined Goshinboku. Damn this tree, damn it and that blasted wench of Inuyasha's. How could this have happened to him? How could he have allowed himself to become this way? His fangs ground together in frustrated anger, his aura gave a twinge and then settled. He was unable to make it explode with power anymore, it was continually dwindling…Why did everything in this world make him so sick? He could sense corrupt aura's everywhere and yet he was still weakening! This was complete madness! A youkai of his magnitude should have been feeding off of such a mass of shouki, even if he were only hanyou. 

The miko came up behind him slowly; her aura was pulsating strangely in a way he was not used to. She was frightened, tired, curious and a touch angry. He sniffed to himself derisively; what did she want now?

"Naraku…" She said, the hint of repulsed hatred did not go unheard. He could sense it in her whenever she spoke, no matter how she tried to hide such an ugly emotion, it still showed in her. Just like it had in Kikyou…

He did not reply to her, simply kept staring at the burned-out wood, scowling at it in hatred, trying to find out where he had gone wrong. He should have killed this girl in the beginning, he was sure of that now. He had been a fool to play with her and her companions, watching them in their puppet-dance; sure that he was always the one pulling the strings.

Kagome looked him over; he did not look as if he had fallen…Her eyes found the book still clutched in one of his clawed hands and she felt a small form of rage boiling within her. How dare he have entered her father's old study! Had he no respect for the dead!

There was a long silence, in which the two of them just stood there, reading each other's auras with ease and hating each other all the more every second.

"If you have something to say, miko, you should say it and get it over with, I don't have time to deal with you," Naraku finally said.

Kagome felt the ugly beast called rage rear its disgusting head once more in her, as it so often had done before, roaring savagely at her to retaliate. She clenched her fists and her teeth fit together in a snug growl, though she didn't dare provoke him at the moment. Why was his shouki so low? It was still lowering! Keade had said that the God-Tree would purify him, but he wasn't in the God-Tree anymore!

She opened her mouth to speak but was stopped when she heard the cawing of crows and other bird's overhead. Looking up, she just barely caught the outline of a mass of birds flying away from the well which glowed ominously. Kagome shimmered as she sensed the shouki that rippled out toward her; she felt the pulse of the well calling to her. Her eyes widened as the ground shook with the ripple; the Goshinboku's aura responded to the shouki by shimmering and seemingly moving of its own will as bells tinkled overhead.

Naraku looked at the well house with disdain, watching as the miko before him nervously assessed the situation they were in.

"What's going on?" Kagome felt the words run from her mouth before she could stop them. Was this an earthquake? But earthquakes didn't cause the Goshinboku and the well house to react this way…

* * *

Not much to say at the moment, except 'hello' and a very sincere 'thank you' to those of you who have been bearing with me. I promise to have the next chapter up soon. Stay tuned, you guys!

Thanks again and get ready for summer! It's almost here! Ja'ne.

Review Please.


	8. Scroll Seven Miko and Leviathan

_A Single Wish_

By: OtakuSailorV

* * *

Scroll Seven – Miko and Leviathan

* * *

"The seal has been broken," Naraku uttered in a cold tone as he narrowed his crimson eyes on the well house.

"What?!" Kagome cried, shocked by his words, and turned just in time to hear several screams and growls punctuate the air. They were the ghastly roars of mindless youkai; she knew those cries all too well from her travels in the Sengoku Jidaii.

Why now, though? Why was the seal coming undone now? Was her world falling apart? This was an absolute nightmare!

Thunder rumbled overhead and touched down in the trees behind the well house. There were more moans and howls; and suddenly the roof of the well house was blown away entirely. A cascade of demons fell forward, crashing into each other as they frantically worked to escape into the night air.

Naraku watched them stream into the sky and scuttle into the darkness dully, while Kagome gasped; she was about to run in for her bow when she stopped.

"We have to stop them," she cried, knowing full well that he would find no reason to kill the creatures that were continually pushing out of the well.

Naraku looked over at her and looked as if he might roll his eyes in disgust at how righteous she was about everything. She would have had more luck getting Sesshoumaru to smile than getting Naraku to lift a finger for someone besides himself. Kagome gave up when he did not reply and disappeared into her house, making sure to lock the doors behind her.

Her family was surprised by her sudden intrusion and her mother met her with a barrage of questions that Kagome didn't hear as she raced to her room. Souta was huddled under a blanket in his room, and as much as she wanted to comfort him, she knew that time was of the essence.

Racing to her room, she yelled over her shoulder: "No time to explain, mom; don't go outside!"

Clumsily, she rushed to grab her bow and quiver, nearly dumping the arrows out and stumbling over her own feet in her rush. Her panicked mind let out a flurry of fearful yelps as she made it to her still-open window and launched herself outside again. Forcing the window shut from the outside, she ran along the tiles – nearly slipping several times – and finally jumped to the ground below.

Her knees buckled, ankles grinding and bones popping painfully. Wincing, she ran back to the Goshinboku with a trembling limp.

In the back of her mind, she knew that her family was watching her; watching for the first time as she went to battle, shaky and pained. She'd never been so frightened since her first days in the Sengoku Jidaii; and she knew beyond a doubt that her anxiety was not for herself, but for the unsuspecting people that would encounter the escaping demons. What repercussions would this create? What was her family thinking right now, as they watched her fire arrows at beasts out of legend? Surely they must have guessed that her time-traveling involved some form of danger beyond their comprehension, but how much of this were they prepared for really?

Releasing another arrow, she turned her thoughts elsewhere. She really wasn't sure what she planned on doing; she only had so many arrows and there were literally _hundreds_ of demons scurrying about. Even more had already escaped…

Her arrows cut through the air, surrounded by a bright pink aura, striking down monstrous blue oni, rat demons with three vicious red eyes, and other various monsters too evil and foul for description.

At the thought of 'evil,' she turned, momentarily distracted by the absence of one being: Naraku. Eyes widening, she realized that he no longer was standing where he had before. In fact, he wasn't anywhere that she could see at all. Not able to believe her own stupidity in overlooking the dark hanyou's absence, she raced to another position, scouting for him while also firing more arrows at random into the hoard of demons.

"Do you really think you can stop them all?"

Kagome nearly ran into him as she swung her head back in front of her after shooting off yet another arrow. Surprised, she stumbled back a few paces, not wanting to make any form of contact with him at all, even if it was on accident.

She scowled, "I will," she replied tersely, though she knew that it was a lie. The odds were against her, and even if by some miracle Naraku ended up helping her at this point, it would still be hard to find every last youkai that had escaped. Not only that, but she couldn't even fight anymore, once she was out of arrows…But she wouldn't think about that now, she'd deal with that when the time came.

The next arrow was released at random into the air, clipping the wings of one youkai which fell with a horrid scream into the forest. The arrow continued climbing until it struck another youkai full-on and burst into a burst of light; the pure and impure energies unable to tolerate each other.

The surrounding demons hissed and screamed as their comrade's fell, hurrying away from the explosion of energy; lest they be touched by the remnants of the ancient powers and be overcome. Several already had thus fallen prey, and writhed painfully before fading to dust.

Sweat formed on Kagome's brow, and her cheeks ignited pink as she gasped for breath, not used to shooting her arrows with such vigor and rapid succession; much less so after her run to and from her house, and the creeping anxiety that threatened to cripple her completely. Sure, she had been in situations where she'd had to fire rapidly before, but in those times she'd had her friends with her also. And she'd been horribly out of practice since the well had sealed up; she hadn't seen any reason to continue practicing when this ability was of no use to anyone anymore.

It wasn't like she'd ever been the one doing the protecting before either, though. She'd always shoot an arrow at the opportune moment, or fire at demons at random, but she'd never really been the one fighting. It was always Inuyasha and the others fighting while she stayed behind with Shippo, cheering them on and feeling guilty for her own helplessness. She just wasn't strong like they were; she wasn't even half as strong as Kikyou, who she was supposed to be the reincarnation of. Of what real use was she? Always dragging them down…

The whole time, Naraku watched her, sensing all of her negative emotions and delighting in them. Yes, it was right that she should suffer; and this self-doubt that threatened to eat away at her from the inside could prove a potent weapon for him as well. Smirking to himself, he continued to watch her desperate attempt to fight.

The haunting face of the deceased miko passed before Kagome's eyes, and she blinked stubbornly to blot it out again. No, she wouldn't think about that now. There was something more at stake; she was being counted on this time to stop the evil before it spread. She had to keep going, she couldn't waste her time dwelling on the past like that.

Even as these thoughts crossed her mind, her fingers fumbled at the rim of her quiver, fingers plucking heatedly at what was no longer there. She'd run out of arrows!

With a jolt she realized that she had already finished off her two-dozen or so arrows that she'd had left from the feudal era. Her mouth hung open, and she swiftly snapped it shut again, her eyes searching swiftly for any arrows that might not have been destroyed already amongst the demon remains. Catching sight of an arrow that was still lodged in the eye of a rather large insect-demon, she raced forward and pulled it out, ignoring the smell and oozes that followed.

A demon swung low, and without thinking, she stabbed at it with the arrow and then proceeded to notch it and fire at random. It struck home somewhere, for she heard the dying scream of the demon nearby.

Her muscles quivered, her limbs shook, and adrenaline pumped through her like mad as she searched for more of her arrows. She was surprised by the fact that the demons avoided her completely, not even bothering to look at her as she pushed through their midst. It was almost as if they were attempting to get away from something…

Kagome came to an abrupt halt as she came close to the half-ruined well house; her attention fixated on something that suddenly struck her as odd. The demons were in a complete frenzy as they pushed to escape the well house, completely mad with fear. They scrambled and crawled, crying out in ecstasy before trampling others of their kind to get away from the well. Her previous thought of their odd avoidance of her struck her again and this time she began to piece things together somewhat. These lesser demons were not the ones that had broken the seal on the well; they were only being herded before the giant power that was attempting to come from the other side. Even as this dawned on her, she could feel the inklings of a huge demonic power creeping closer and closer.

What little remained of the well house was torn asunder, and the demons fought against every last beam and post to create a bigger hole for them to escape from. Kagome stared, dumbfounded by what she was watching, her mind fumbling to comprehend the spontaneous madness that had so suddenly taken over her life. The demons jostled with renewed vigor, bumping, pushing and shoving past her now as a renewed fear ran through the air.

"Idiotic girl."

Then she was up, the plaintive cries of the dying demons and the horrible, overwhelming stench of blood following her as she was dragged higher and higher into the sky. With a loud 'crash,' he landed on the roof of her house, crushing the blue tiles with the force of his landing. He looked pained and he roughly shoved her aside, unable to keep touching her for more than a moment.

He would have liked to see her crushed to death beneath that wreckage and hoard of demons, but if he was guessing correctly, then he would need her quite soon, and he was not about to let a tool die so easily. Besides, if she were going to die, he would be the one doing the killing.

Carelessly, Naraku flicked the demon blood from his claws, reveling in the sight of the devastation below him.

Ah, it seemed like forever, since he had last seen such carnage, and some distant bloodlust stirred, urging him to loose himself and join in the killing if only for the pleasure of it. Naraku withheld, though, knowing that the frenzy with which the demons fled was not because of his presence. There was something bigger coming, something which he wanted to see with his own eyes.

Kagome glared at him sidelong; for a moment she had been about to thank him for helping her before she checked herself. A mental barrage of anger and resentment flew about; why should she thank _him_?! This was probably his fault in the first place!

"What did you do?!" she demanded angrily, gesturing at her ruined home and shrine. In the back of her mind, she knew that she was acting irrational, but with everything that was going on, she didn't care.

He smirked, a cold, vicious snarl that chilled her to the bone. His crimson eyes glowed brilliantly in the mounting darkness. "I wish I could lay claim to such a splendid moment, but no, this is not my doing. If anything, you have only to blame yourself," and he smiled ever more wickedly as a shock rippled through her.

Shocked, a cold ripple moved through her that froze her in place. This was her doing? Immediately, her wish on the Shikon no Tama flashed into her mind, and dread filled her.

"No, something else is coming, little miko," he continued. "Sit still and you shall see."

Almost as if his words had summoned it, a huge tremor rocked the eart, causing Kagome to stumble on the broken roof tiles. Tripping, she fell on the sharp fragments, skinning her palms and receiving a nasty cut on her knee. She cursed under her breath as she tried to nurse the bleeding wounds; the earthquake sirens sounded throughout the city immediately, followed by the wail of ambulance and police cars. How confused they would all be when they discovered that this was no earthquake at all…

The demons – all of them – were suddenly gone, vanishing in their tracks with horrid shrieks that rent the air. They all dissolved into dust and were blown away by a powerful, blasting wind that issued from the cracks created by the previous tremor. Thick, strenuous strands of miasma leaked from the well and the cracks in the earth, grasping at any and all life that surrounded it. It sucked the very essence from the neighboring trees, bushes, bugs, and other plants; forest animals scattered in its wake, birds took to the air only to be overrun and die in mid-flight.

With a mighty crack, the earth split and a giant splash of demonic light burst from the ruined well house, intermixed with the faintest highlight of a purer energy as well. There was a hideous cry that rebounded all around them, filling their ears with its mournful wail that drowned out all other thoughts and sounds. The universe itself seemed to hold still in the wake of that cry; an uneasy, strained silence followed, only to be punctuated again by another ear-splitting roar.

Kagome covered her ears, unable to bear listening to the noise without great tears welling into her eyes. Despite her efforts, though, the sound pierced through and steeped her thoughts in nothing but sorrow and regret. She let out a cry; trickles of blood running from underneath her cupped hands as her eardrums were permeated by the noise.

Another mighty crack and the earth heaved upward, a great evil viciously pushing against it, writhing as it strained to break into the darkness.

Naraku grabbed Kagome's arm roughly, dragging her back to her feet with a jerk and forcing her to watch everything that was happening. The appearance of the miasma had strengthened him, and a brilliant smirk dawned his lips, willing him to resist the spiritual power of the miko. She trembled against him, still too distracted by her own pain and confusion to fully grasp what was going on.

"Look what your wish has done, little miko," he snarled in her ear, delighting in the shiver that ran up her spine. She fought briefly to pull away, but he held her tight, his dark eyes dancing with a perverse amusement as he too watched the earth peel back.

Noticing that she had turned her face aside defiantly, he grasped her chin and forced her to face forward again. This halted her struggling entirely, her muscles growing weak as she saw the wretched creature that had broken the seal on the well.

Kagome froze in fear and utter shock, her eyes wide, pupils dilated. Her entire body felt like it had been drenched in cold water, and her limbs shuddered and turned to liquid, unable to support her in the face of this horrid leviathan.

She knew no better name for it than that, for it was neither one thing, nor the other, but a towering conglomeration of demons, plants, and animals so foul that it was by far the most hideous thing to look upon. Never before had she seen anything so ugly, with its grotesque body and pudgy limbs that barely supported it. It reeked of death and despair; its discolored eyes roving about at different angles as its jowls parted to release a steaming, acidic breath which melted the stones scattered about it.

Its neck was fat and worm-like, with thin tufts of wiry hair interspersed all over its body, the skin of which looked as if it were melting off of its frame. It was bloated around the middle, with its bones showing in several patches that heaved with every breath it took. A long, snake-like tail dragged on the ground behind it.

Terror and fear gripped her and clung at her throat. She wanted to scream, to run from this massive beast which stood so close by; taking up a good two-thirds of what had been the main grounds of her family's shrine. It watched her with a sort of morbid fascination, and slowly began to incline its head forward, as if it wished to get a better look at her.

_'NO!' _Her mind screamed in denial, suddenly jolted awake by the demon's movement. This was not what she had wanted! No, no, not this; she didn't want this! She'd just wanted to see _them_ again, not to face this creature as Naraku held her.

Large tears of fear and anxiety swelled at the corners of her eyes as the beast's sausage-like lips peeled back to let loose a blast of its foul, hot breath that smelled of disease. She whimpered pitifully, her voice failing her completely as fear overtook her.

Kagome fought to step back, her feet scrambling on the broken roof tiles, but Naraku was like a solid wall. He allowed not even a fraction of an inch be gained by her struggles.

No, no, don't let it touch her! She had to get away, to maybe draw its attention away from her family as well. Did it even care for her family, or was she the focus of its attention? The pale, lifeless eyes seemed to stare right through her as it shifted closer and closer. She couldn't keep her thoughts straight for even a second now, a frenzy of sights and sounds barraging her eyes as Naraku forced her to face the beast. Was this what it was like to see her life flashing before her eyes, perhaps? If so, then she must be facing Death right now; it seemed fitting that Naraku be nearby during such a time…

Coming back out of the resigned state, she blinked at the specter, feeling her voice come back to life as adrenaline pumped through her veins with a renewed vigor.

Finally, she let out a cry that rivaled the giant beasts in volume and pitch. She closed her eyes, feeling the white-hot surge of purifying energy course through her as her anger, fear and sorrow fed into the scream she uttered. Naraku released her with a growl as her world went black…

* * *

Woo, sorry it's been SOOOO long again, everyone! I actually had this typed up on my old computer, but the stupid thing refused to send the document to this one or even simply print it for the longest time, so I had to re-write it by hand and then re-type it on this computer. Very sorry!!

I hope to work on the rest of my fanfics this week and update them all soon, since now that the holidays are over, I have a lot less to do. (I'm a procrastinator at heart and went and put off a lot of big school projects until the last minute; not to mention SEVERAL I wasn't even AWARE of until 2 weeks before they were due, but that's a long story.)

I'm so excited! I STARTED A NARAKU/KAGOME CLUB ON DEVIANTART! Hee, sorry, I'm not usually a caps lock person, but after being on the site for a while and not seeing a single club dedicated to them, I just HAD to create one. I'd be so glad if you'd have a look-see; the link is in my profile!!

Well, I hope you enjoyed, and I'll be back soon. Ja'ne!

Review Please.


	9. Scroll Eight Wishes

_A Single Wish_

By: OtakuSailorV

* * *

Scroll Eight – Wishes

* * *

_Kagome smiled as she ran over to Sango, who was waving cheerily to her from atop a hill. Behind her, Kagome could see Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, and Inuyasha already seated beneath a large wisteria tree, smiling at her._

_Without thought or hesitation, Kagome raced towards them, her heart fluttering with love in her chest and reaching out to them as eagerly as her outstretched arms were. _

_As hard as she was running though, she did not seem to be gaining any ground at all. In fact, it appeared as if the hill was getting farther and farther away, and her once brisk movements were now painfully sluggish. Frustrated, Kagome strained to go faster, knowing that she was capable of more speed than what she was currently putting out. Her body would not listen though; it was as if she was just a floating consciousness trapped inside of a shell of a body. _

_In front of her, the hill disappeared; the happy, smiling faces running like ink as a downpour of rain suddenly enveloped her. Ceasing her running at this, she shivered, frantically looking about her, though there was nothing to see in the darkness that surrounded her._

_The scuffing of old sandals against the ground met her ears and she turned, hugging herself to keep warm as a shape materialized out of the shadows in the distance. Closer and closer it came, becoming more and more distinct as it drew nearer. Kagome sucked in her breath hesitantly as she recognized the familiar person that was making their way towards her; she'd never been quite comfortable around Kikyou._

_The miko stopped short, nearly bumping into Kagome, her emotionless eyes staring deeply into Kagome's for a few short moments. After a pause, she shoved a bow into Kagome's hands roughly, a deep sadness welling up in her eyes as she did so._

_"Do you think you can escape my fate?" Kikyou spoke, and her voice was drowning in the misery that was hidden behind her eyes. _

_Kagome looked down at the bow, feeling her own soul ache as it struck a chord with Kikyou's plight. They shared the same soul after all…_

_Looking back up, a forest surrounded her now, and Kikyou was gone. The rain had stopped as well, and from what she could tell, she was no longer wet. _

_Before she could puzzle over this, her senses rang out a warning and she ran skittishly as a loud crashing startled her. Trees raked at her skin and bushes tripped her up as she feebly attempted to outrun her unknown pursuer. She couldn't tell what was following her, for her senses would not allow any sort of concentration, letting her know only that she was in danger and need do nothing else but run._

_A blur streaked by overhead, clawing at her as it passed and she shrieked in fright, pulling her arms against her chest and notching the arrow to the bow that she held still. Her eyes were squeezed shut in fright, and, without thinking, she released the arrow randomly, not even sure if she was aiming at anything._

_A gasp of pain and shock met with the dull 'thud' of the arrow meeting its target. Startled that the arrow had met anything, she opened her eyes._

_Inuyasha, his right hand wet with blood, stared back at her in shock, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide in pain. Kagome gasped, feeling tears well up as she dropped the bow and dragged her shaking hands down the sides of her cheeks in dismay. What had she done? What had she done?!_

_She stopped as her hand met something wet; pulling it back, she stared dully at the blood that smeared her palm. She looked back at Inuyasha, her gaze lingering on his sullied right hand. Inuyasha had been trying to…?_

_"Inuyasha…" she whispered, hurt and despair etching her as tears rolled down her cheeks. It couldn't be true, this was just too much…_

_He stared at her, his eyes glazing over as he stumbled backwards, his left hand reaching towards her weakly. "Kagome…?" _

_Kagome let out a cry, jumping forward to try and stop him from falling, but the darkness whirled in. Now a fire raged around her, hot and sweltering, oppressively bearing down upon her as she fought to breathe. Distressed, she cried out again, looking about for Inuyasha wildly. _

_Turning about, she fell silent as a tall, powerful looking miko and an equally tall and foreboding demon came into view. Neither seemed bothered by either the heat or her presence; staring at each other fixedly and without expression. In the miko's hand was a sword, and Kagome knew without having to look twice that this regal woman was Midoriko. She had seen both them…yes, this man was Midoriko's demon lover from the story. Yes…Yes, both of them had appeared to her after she had made her wish on the Shikon no Tama…_

_As she was pondering this, Midoriko turned her head towards Kagome, her eyes drooping with weary despair; a sadness as great as Kikyou's. Kagome stared, knowing full well why the miko, as feared and powerful as she was, now looked so weak and lost. It was the same reason that Kikyou wanted to give Inuyasha the Shikon no Tama, the same reason that Kagome had wished on a star; a yearning so deep and potent that it hurt, shook one's being to the core. _

_"I'm sorry," Kagome couldn't stop the words from leaving her mouth, couldn't understand what she was sorry for. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but they dissolved instantly as the heat of the fire brushed them away._

_Midoriko nodded solemnly, her eyes closing slowly as her hair whipped about her in a wild frenzy. _

"_**Do you think you can escape my fate?" **_

_Again this question shook Kagome, but in Midoriko's tone Kagome could hear Kikyou's voice as well. The two were weighted down with sorrow, and the question that they pressed upon Kagome seemed void of any sort of hope. Rather, the two voices seemed to say: 'you cannot escape this.'_

_Up rose the great miko, floating in the air high above the fire storm. The demon stepped back, dissolving into darkness as he watched his lover ascend. And then a massive shape solidified around Midoriko, her arms raised for combat. Kagome recognized the pose; it was the same that Midoriko's mummified body had held in the cave that acted as her shrine. And the beast that twisted about her, her eternal foe, was-_

_The Leviathon hissed in rage, his empty eyes widening in pain. The creature, long imprisoned within the Shikon no Tama opposite the miko Midoriko, now writhed as its flesh bubbled and erupted. Its cries were deafening and the smell it gave off was enough to make one's eyes run. The grisly lumps of flesh that served as the beast's limbs gave out; its claws scraping at the dirt furiously as it attempted to bring itself back to its feet. From its jaws came black-stained blood that sizzled as it hit the earth below. Labored wheezes heaved loudly as its lungs collapsed, the mangy fur falling out in thick patches. It was dying now, but the damage had been done…_

* * *

Kagome started, drenched in a cold sweat from her nightmare. Nightmare? Had it really been only that? She pressed her palms to her forehead in an attempt to cool the feverish heat that engulfed her head. It had felt so real, looked so real, and yet…a nightmare?

She wasn't sure what caught her attention, but Kagome was suddenly jolted again, her teeth grinding against each other as she looked about herself wildly. Where was she? What had happened?

The terrain about her was devastated, scraggly trees that were burned black clung to the red-stained soil, stretching out their decrepit boughs to the darkened sky. A sickly wind blew by, carrying with it the scent of disease and pestilence, and awakening a primal urge to preserve oneself against such malefactors. A stagnant river ran through what must have once been a village way off in the distance, the remnants of buildings now only a few scattered beams and pencil-thick sticks charred to the ground.

Kagome stared, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. It was the picturesque scene of a broken and abandoned world; she swore, if she had been taken into one of her little brother's crazy RPG video games by all of this, she was going to scream. (Really, such a fanciful idea didn't seem too farfetched to her at this point.)

Getting to her feet, she looked everything over carefully, considering her predicament. This was no easy task however, for a thousand and one thoughts ran through her mind, screaming for her attention and ranging from plausible to outrageous in nature. There was no way of calming them either, for attempting to do so only seemed to generate more commotion from the frenzy.

"About time you woke up, girl," a familiar voice cooed, frightening her out of her skin.

She jerked about, glaring at Naraku, who was seated in his usual pompous manner, resting against a tree. She hadn't suspected that he would still be around, but in a way she was glad, he might be able to provide some answers.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded immediately. Despite her previous notions, she was suspicious of his every movement. Why would he still be hanging around and not have killed her while she was lying in the dirt?

He smirked at her and she could hear the scoff in his voice. "You dragged us here, miko," he retaliated simply. "When you destroyed that creature, you took us here."

Kagome stared at him for a long time, probing his red eyes, but there was nothing there but mockery. He couldn't be telling the truth, there was no way she could have done anything like that…

"Where are we?" she asked instead, bothered by the fact that she had seen no hint of depth in his eyes, no sign that he was anything less than a cunning beast. She had known he was a vile and merciless, contemptible demon from the beginning, but there was just something wrong with this…It wasn't like she was able to sense magical powers or anything very well, but there was that old saying that the 'eyes were the windows to the soul,' right? Since she was a child – and she knew for a fact she wasn't the only one – she had felt most comfortable around a person when she made eye contact. And yet, in Naraku's eyes she had seen nothing, as if there was nothing beyond them; just his smug laughter bearing down on her. Such emptiness in a person made her very core rattle with fear, though she wasn't entirely sure why.

"This is what is left of the world inside your well," Naraku replied with a cold tone that bore the smallest hint of triumph.

She was too stunned to talk, to breathe; for a moment, all of her thoughts had halted, pausing on a moment that seemed to extend into eternity. Then, with a painful jerk, everything came back together, and she was bombarded with an overwhelming amount of emotions and thoughts that made her knees buckle.

What was left? Then, the village she'd noted before, the one with the stagnant river…it was…

Without thinking, she raced towards the ruins, her feet pounding hard against the dirt and rock as she grit her teeth. Screwing up her lips, she forced back sobs and tears that had appeared the instant the thoughts had settled in.

'_No, no,'_ she told herself desperately as fond memories played before her minds eye. It just couldn't be…

The air was putrid, thick with the disease that the stagnant water in the river carried and the sorrow of those lost souls that remained chained to the desolate place. The aura of such woe some spirits sent a shiver down her spine that shook free a few tears that slid down her cheeks.

Looking about, she traced her steps through the demolished village, imagining that she was in Kaede-obaa-chan's village of days past and comparing it to what she saw before her now. Her heart pounded in her chest loudly, hammering away at each second that crawled painfully by.

A blackened skeleton of an old tree had crumbled to the ground to her left, a tree that she'd once sat under with Inuyasha. Not far off, a bank had eroded away from the scorched and broken bridge that had once allowed traffic to pass over the waters of the now stagnant river. On either side of the river were the scattered remains of huts and the ramshackle bits of housing that had once stood proudly.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she choked them back, bunching her hands up into fists at her sides. It was true…

"Are you going to stand there and cry, miko?"

She hated that voice, she hated it. No, not just the voice, she hated the eyes, the sneering lips, the face, everything about this monster. Everything good and wonderful in her life had been taken away by him, everything!

Whirling, she raised her fists over her head and swung them down furiously, gasping in surprise as they were caught by two of Naraku's tentacles. He still had the power to materialize them?

"Ku ku ku, surprised, miko? I may have had much of my shouki drained by that damned tree in your era, but I regained my power while you slept," he was dangerously close to her face now, his red eyes alive with murderous intent. Kagome squirmed in his grip, gritting her teeth. It was true, he had his power back, though she could tell that it was not fully restored yet.

"I'm sure you sense _it_ too though, don't you," he continued after a brief pause and pulled back, turning to look at the sky crossly.

Kagome was puzzled by his words and followed his eyes, but there was nothing to be seen. Ah, he'd said 'sense' though, hadn't he? Furrowing her brow, she concentrated on the energies around her…

The force of such power stunned her though- never before had she felt such a huge amount of shouki, not even from Naraku!

"What is that?" she couldn't help but say, albeit it was barely audible.

Naraku didn't answer, releasing his hold on her before turning his bright crimson eyes on her once more. Kagome returned his glare, though she was inwardly uneasy about the whole ordeal. If he had his powers back, even just a little, then she had more to worry about; she didn't doubt that he'd try to kill her at every opportunity, and she wasn't about to die until she cleared up this whole mess.

"…Miko-san?"

Kagome gasped, turning about as the voice broke in on her thoughts. She hadn't been expecting anyone to speak, especially someone referring to her as miko-'san.'

From the wreckage of a nearby hut came a dirty man clothed in a torn and sullied yukata. He stared at her with dull eyes that had only the merest flicker of intelligence and hope in them as he looked at her. His cracked and bloodied lips twisted into a small smile of recognition.

"Miko-san, you're…" he paused as his eyes fell on Naraku. Cowering, the little light in his eyes was snuffed out immediately as he pulled back into the hut.

Looking over at Naraku, Kagome huffed as she realized what had frightened the man and went forward slowly, carefully peeking into the dim light hesitantly.

"What's the matter? What happened here?" Kagome asked softly as she nudged aside the bamboo screen that hung over the doorway.

The man sat in the corner, huddled into a ball with his arms raised up and wrapped about the top of his head. He shook visibly, his eyes wide as his mouth worked on words that he fumbled over stupidly. He refused to make eye contact with Kagome at first and even seemed to have forgotten that she was there at all. Confused by this, Kagome hesitated on what she should do next.

"Sir, sir," she came closer, crouching down and making slow signs in the air to try and get the man's attention.

After a moment, his frantic eyes twitched towards her and then darted away again, as if he were afraid to look at her. He fell silent and just as she was about to address him again, he spoke, though his voice was trembling and faint.

"A monster…a horrifying creature…it came out nowhere, no, no…" he fell silent again, shaking, his fingers scratching at his scalp feverishly. "No, it came from the land between the North and the East…it…horrible, horrible," and then he jumped up onto his knees, catching Kagome by her shoulders and shaking her stiffly. His eyes stared wildly into hers. Kagome stiffened, her lips parting in surprise as she stared at the beggar-man in fright.

"That man, he is dangerous, he is like that monster…no, the monster was worse, but he is a monster, Miko-san…get away Miko-san, get far away; down the well…down the well…" he released her again, letting out a long breath as he pulled back into his huddled ball. From then on he would say nothing more nor even look at Kagome when she tried to speak with him.

* * *

Ah, sorry about the long wait, though I guess it wasn't nearly as long as last time, eh? Heheh…

I'm on spring break right now, so I'm trying my hardest to update as much as I can. I'm gonna work on the next chapters for Lost World, Servant and No One Like You next, ok?

Oh yes, and I started a **_Naraku/Kagome fanclub on deviantArt_**! That's right, a fanclub! It's pretty small right now, but I plan to have up links to various fanfiction and such soon. There's **a link to the fanclub in my profile**, so be sure to check it out, ok?

There was a **reviewer question** about _which 'wish' Naraku had been referring to when he'd spoken to Kagome in the last chapter._ And since I don't see where I would include that answer in the story, I'll answer it here instead. Simply put, he's referring to her wish on the Shikon no Tama since in actuality that wish is the only one that had any magical weight in Kagome's world. Her wish on the shooting star was just that, a wish, which is no more tangible or noteworthy than dropping a coin in a wishing well.

Well, I believe that's it for now everyone. I'll see you all next chapter! Ja'ne!!

Review Please


	10. Scroll Nine Journey with a Spider

A Single Wish

Scroll Nine – Journey with a Spider

"Don't you think it would be a better idea to head in the direction that the monster came from?"

Kagome could feel her patience fading fast; she looked over her shoulder at the man who had been following her for the past few miles. He was courteous enough to stay a fair distance behind her, but his presence was still oppressive.

"If you want to go there, I'm not gonna stop you," she snapped.

He had been looking off to one side, as if he were admiring the scenery, but now he turned languidly back to her, holding her gaze steadily and with a flicker of smug amusement. "I couldn't leave you to face that youkai all alone, miko," he said in a light, mocking tone.

She glared at him, feeling a pinprick of anger suddenly swell in her mind, a thousand curses and other violent actions occurring to her. She ignored them along with him, turning her head back to face the road ahead, though it wasn't as if she needed to. The countryside remained bleak all around her, the only colors being those of dead and dying things. Seeing the land that had once been so vibrant in such a state as it was now gave her pause; lost in memories now, her eyes drifted to the side of the rode.

Naraku watched her with carefully concealed interest. The old man had told them that the monster that had scourged this land had risen out of the Northeast, and that would certainly be where the root of this problem lay. However, that was not the direction that the miko had chosen. It was not that she did not see the logic in going to the land where the monster had originated, and yet had chosen to instead follow it as it headed west. No, Naraku knew better. The little priestess was obviously chasing after the monster in hopes of coming across her old companions. _Surely they would be doing the same?_ He chuckled to himself. She was too easy to read.

* * *

Nightfall came quickly, making the landscape around them only that much more unsettling. Following the usual motions, Kagome had settled down when she saw the coming of twilight, ready to begin making camp when it struck her that she had no supplies. She frowned, a twinge of sadness striking her as memories of her friends once again rose to the surface.

Naraku sat not far from her in a very nonchalant manor, not even looking at her, as if it were perfectly normal that he do so. Kagome looked at him sharply, feeling a vein pulse in her head at his attitude. He was doing it on purpose to bother her, she knew it, and by reacting she was just going to be giving him the satisfaction he wanted; with this in mind, she bit her tongue and turned back away, settling down with her back to him. It would be easier to ignore him if she didn't have to keep _looking_ at him.

He continued to watch her, smirking at her naivety when she turned her back on him as she lay down to rest, with not a word or even a look at him. This miko, who shared Kikyou's soul; they were nothing alike. Kikyou would never have left herself so open to an enemy or any she was even remotely suspicious of. It would be far too easy to snap her thin neck as she lay there, he mused over the thought with a pleased smirk, but no, if his guesses were correct, he would need her before this journey was over. It would do no good to kill her now.

* * *

Kagome received no rest that night, her dreams filled with vague images that left her uneasy long into the next day. Her muscles, having become accustomed to her bed, did not take to the hard ground either, and so she spent a majority of her time trying to ignore the many aches and pains that assaulted her as she trudged along the worn path.

Naraku continued to follow her, this time more closely. Kagome kept a close watch on him, eternally aware of his growing shouki. The entire night, whenever she woke from a particularly fitful dream, she'd seen his blood red eyes glowing in the oppressive dark, watching her. Had he slept at all? She grit her teeth at the thought of those hateful eyes.

"Why are you following me?" she asked over her shoulder; she was beginning to hate the silence. It left her to her own thoughts.

"I'm not following you, we are merely going in the same direction," he replied in that nonchalant manner that grated on her nerves. Who said he could act so familiar and easy around her?

"Fine," she conceded, "Why are you going in the same direction as I am?"

He chuckled. "I don't think that's any business of yours, miko."

Kagome fought back her rising anger; not trusting herself to reply in an even tone, she went back to ignoring him, her eyes sweeping the landscape ahead.

There was no sign of inhabitation, nor even any recent signs of others passing along this road. Her heart fell slightly at this, her thoughts reaching out to her friends once more. _'No, that's ok,'_ she comforted herself, _'they might have passed by a different road. Or they may not have used the road at all.'_ That's right, Kirara would have carried Sango, Miroku and Shippo and Inuyasha would have run alongside them. Cutting through the forest would have been faster than taking the road that wound around it anyway...

She frowned at the ragged branches overhead, with their bunches of dead leaves, whistling in the sickly wind. The boughs, once so strong and proud, now looked skeletal, raking at the sky longingly, as if begging for relief. Their roots showed, dried out, the dirt crumbling away from them. When the wind stirred it called up small cyclones of dust and dead leaves.

Sighing, Kagome shook her head of her dismal thoughts. Had all of this been caused by the monster that was said to have risen? This couldn't have all happened suddenly, could it? No, it must have come about over a period of time. But...if that were so, how long had it been? How long had she been absent from this land?

* * *

It took nearly a whole day of travel to reach the next village. Unlike Kaede's village, this one was not in utter shambles and already Kagome had seen several people, though they ducked quickly back inside their ramshackle homes as soon as she looked at them.

Naraku had disappeared; though she could still feel his shouki somewhere outside the village. She was comforted that he was no longer following her. It would be easier to try and talk to people if he wasn't intimidating them with his presence.

Turning a corner, she bumped awkwardly into two children whom she had not spotted.

"Ah, sorry," she apologized, smiling at them apologetically. "I didn't see you guys."

Both were peasant children, dressed in shabby clothes that were probably meant to last them through the year, if not more than that. One was a dirty-faced little girl, her wild black hair gathered into a messy ponytail. The other was a scruffy boy who could only be the girl's older brother, his knees and elbows scraped up from many a tussle with other children. When he gaped at her, she saw that he was missing a tooth.

Frightened, the children sprang back, attempting to run. "Ahh, monster-!" the boy yelled, grabbing hold of his sister's hand earnestly.

Kagome stared after them, surprised. "N-no, wait, hey-!" she called after them, jumping forward and catching hold of the little girl by the arm.

The girl cried out and immediately her brother swung around, grasping his sister's arm and pulling as hard as he could to get Kagome to let go, ignoring Kagome as she attempted to explain herself.

"Get off my sister you big ugly monster!" he yelled, then gulped as he caught the ferocious look in Kagome's eyes.

"Ugly?!" she shrieked at him. "Why you little-!"

Before another word could be said, though, a distressed looking rotund woman came into sight.

"Aki? Taro? What's going on?"

Kagome released her hold, getting to her feet, her cheeks slightly pink with embarrassment at being caught in such a situation. Taking advantage of this immediately, the little boy, now identified as Taro, pulled his sister away a safe distant and stood in front of her protectively, glaring at Kagome as the woman drew closer.

"Mom," the little girl murmured, looking slightly abashed. The woman stopped directly behind her children, looking down at them disapprovingly for a moment before looking up at Kagome with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, I hope they didn't cause you any trouble," she said, placing her hands on her children's heads.

Kagome flushed slightly. "N-no, I'm sorry. I must have scared them," the little boy was still watching her warily, his eyes narrowing when she glanced at him. "I'm looking for some friends of mine and I was hoping someone here might have seen them, or have heard of their passing close by."

The woman's brows raised at this and she looked around questioningly. "Are you traveling alone?"

Kagome paused, her mouth slightly agape. What should she say? No, she wasn't actually? That a very dangerous man was lurking outside the village and had been following her? That wouldn't go over very well.

"...Yes, I am," she finally managed to say, hoping that her pause did not make her seem suspicious. "I was separated from my friends when we were attacked by a youkai, but we were heading in this direction and I was hoping that they might have passed before me."

Well, it wasn't too terribly far from the truth.

The woman seemed to accept this and nodded sadly. "I will tell you all that I can, but please, it does not do to stand out here, let us go inside. I'm sure you would like somewhere safer to stay for the night," the woman smiled at her kindly.

Kagome felt a pang of guilt for lying to the woman, but she _would _like to get out of the open. In the short time that it had taken for them to speak several of the villagers had begun to gather at their doors or windows, regarding Kagome curiously.

She smiled at the woman. "That would be nice, thank you."

* * *

"My name is Umi. And these are my children, Aki and Taro," the woman said with a smile after Kagome had sat down.

"It's very nice to meet you, my name is Kagome," she replied with a small smile.

Umi turned her back, bustling over an old pot that was beginning to steam. Aki stepped forward shyly, presenting Kagome with a chipped bowl filled with rice, which Kagome accepted with a small and a nod of thanks. Taro stayed seated on the other side of the room, glaring daggers at Kagome with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Thank you for the food, Umi-san," Kagome said softly. She knew that the people here couldn't have very much to spare and she with nothing to repay them with...

Umi looked over her shoulder with a large grin. "No need to worry dear; now, you were saying that you were looking for some friends you had lost?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes. A monk, a demon slayer, a cute little kitsune and..." her thoughts lingered on Inuyasha, "a boy with white hair and wearing red. I think they might still be chasing the monster that attacked us."

Umi was silent for a moment, and when she spoke again she was grave. "A fearful youkai passed close to this village some months ago; many of our men went out to try and slay it, but few returned...I did not see any of your friends, but one of the men who went out to slay the monster might have. In the morning you can ask them."

There was a lingering sadness to her voice; Kagome knew not to ask any more tonight.

* * *

Despite her accommodations, Kagome slept no better that night, her dreams filled once more with hazy images of destruction, and once, a dream where Inuyasha walked before her, but try as she might, she could not catch up to or call out to him. Fortunately, though, she was far less stiff than she had been the day before, and that in itself was a blessing.

When she awoke she found that none of the hut's other inhabitants were inside and hesitantly ventured outside into the dismal daylight.

Waiting outside was Taro, his arms crossed over his chest, looking every bit like a disgruntled old man. His mouth twitched slightly upon seeing her.

Kagome gave him a smile, though she felt slightly uneasy. "Oh, uhm, good morn-"

"Ma and Aki 're in th' rice field, so I'm 'sposed ta show ya 'round so's ya can talk ta some o' th' guys that fought that youkai," he turned away from her just as sharply as he had cut her off and stalked away, glancing over his shoulder once to make sure she was following.

The village was small enough, consisting of only maybe fifteen or so buildings. There was a small shrine to the local gods by a spring at the edge of the village and on the opposite side Kagome could now see the rice fields, where somewhere over a dozen different figures appeared to be working diligently. Without much trouble Kagome caught onto Naraku's shouki, feeling only somewhat relieved that he seemed to have stayed far enough away so as not to distress the villagers. And still further away there loomed that overpowering shouki; the monster that had started all of this trouble...

Taro stopped outside of a house, standing to one side of the door and looking dead ahead, his arm's still crossed over his chest in a huff. Kagome stood staring at the door for a moment; it would be rude to just barge in unannounced. Confused, she looked at Taro until he finally consented to look at her and in that brief moment he just rolled his eyes and jerked his head at the door meaningfully before looking away again. Kagome blinked at him but understood what he meant nonetheless. _Just go in, stupid._

Knocking on the frame of the door, Kagome peered inside of the hut hesitantly, pushing aside the reed screens that hung over the doorway as she poked her head inside. "...Hello? Sorry for the intrusion."

Inside a man lay on the ground, bandages wrapped around his forehead and over his left eye; he was covered up to his neck by a ragged old blanket, but Kagome had a feeling that other parts of him must be bandaged as well. A young girl sat by his side silently, seemingly preparing him a meal of soup. His right eye watched Kagome as she entered, alert despite his wounds. Somewhere outside Kagome could hear the soft droning of a bug.

"Welcome," he greeted when she knelt by his side. "I was told by Umi-san to expect you. My name is Gennosuke and this here is my daughter, Shizuru. Umi-san says that you are looking for friends and that you were hoping that I might have met them."

He seemed lively and smiled genuinely; his daughter, however, remained silent, not even turning to greet Kagome when she was introduced.

Kagome stumbled at first, having thought that the man would be feeble upon her entrance. "Y-yes, I'm looking for my friends who I think are chasing after the youkai that has been rampaging through these parts. Umi-san said that there were several men from the village who might have seen them."

The man gave her a grim smile. "I'm afraid Umi-san lied to you. Of the men that went to fight the youkai, I'm the only one who returned, and only barely at that, as you can see," he chuckled a little without humor. "Umi-san's husband was one of them. You'll have to forgive her."

Kagome felt a pang of surprise and sadness hit her and suddenly she understood Umi's grim attitude the night before.

"As for your friends," Gennosuke continued, "I saw only one of them in the chaos. The boy with the white hair, he came suddenly and drove the beast farther west."

* * *

Kagome left the hut soon after, thanking the man for his news and wishing him well. Grimly, she nodded to Taro, wondering if he had heard everything that had transpired inside. Taro did not seem like the type to take pity from strangers.

She walked back toward Umi's house, deciding that she would thank the rotund, kindly woman one last time before she set back out again.

Almost as if she had known Kagome were coming, Umi stood waiting at her door, little Aki clinging to her sheepishly. Kagome smiled at them both and bowed graciously.

"Thank you for everything, I really appreciate all you've done for me," she said.

Umi nodded and pressed a small bag of rice into Kagome's hands despite Kagome's protests. "Now now, it's only a little bit, but you look as though all you've got are the clothes on your back at the moment. Good luck finding your friends, dear."

Kagome finally accepted the woman's charity, her cheeks pink with embarrassment and gratitude. "Thank you, Umi-san. Good luck to you too."

* * *

As she exited the village, Kagome was stopped by a voiced that called out to her, and the sound of footsteps hurrying her way.

"Kagome-san!"

Stopping, Kagome was surprised to see Shizuru running towards her urgently.

"Kagome-san," Shizuru bent slightly, trying to catch her breath when she finally reached Kagome, "my father said that there was something else you might want to know. He said that a few days before the youkai passed by the village, he saw a ghostly young miko with a magnificent bow, and that she was wandering towards the west. He said that he thought the boy and the youkai were both chasing the miko, Kagome-san."

* * *

Kagome was lost in thought as she left, not even bothering to take notice when Naraku rejoined her about a half a mile outside the village, walking in complete silence almost directly next to her now.

Chewing distractedly on her bottom lip, Kagome was lost in thought. The miko that the man had mentioned could only be Kikyou; she couldn't really imagine Inuyasha running off after any _other_ miko, after all. Perhaps it were all just a coincidence, though, she told herself and immediately scoffed aloud despite herself. Oh yes, of course, naturally.

_'If only my life were ever that easy,'_ she thought sourly, immediately feeling a shock of guilt and embarrassment at her inner tone. Why, however, she was not completely sure.

Her thoughts turned back to the information she had gathered from the man in the village; she had heard at least some news of Inuyasha now, but what of Sango, Miroku and Shippo? Or Kohaku, Sango's younger brother? Surely they wouldn't sit idly by with such a threat roaming the countryside?

"Inuyasha is following Kikyou to the west," Naraku intruded on her inner sanctity suddenly, but in his usual cool, smug tone.

Kagome looked up at him, flinching slightly at his proximity to her. Putting a good distance between them immediately, she watched him warily; he hadn't meant what he said as a question. Somehow, he'd found out what she'd learned from the injured man in the village.

He smirked, that frightening devilish gleam in his eye. "Don't wory, miko, I'm not going to bite you," he chuckled.

Kagome felt her cheeks flush, her anger rising. "How did you know?" she demanded.

He chuckled again, those penetrating red eyes holding her gaze, refusing to let go. From within one of his billowing sleeves he pulled out a round object that Kagome was all too familiar with. The Saimyousho's nest.

Her mind registered a thousand questions all at once, too late she tried to mask her surprise at seeing the home of Naraku's disgusting messengers once more. Had he had that with him all along? When had he- suddenly it dawned on her and she cursed herself for her stupidity. The droning she had heard outside of the hut when she had entered! It could only have been a Saimyousho - after all, she hadn't heard a single natural sound other than that odd noise before that. It should have struck her as odd right away!

Somewhere in the back of her mind, a small voice prodded her, letting her know that _Kikyou_ wouldn't have been duped so easily, but she shoved it away, smothering it as she fought to put together some reply.

"Surprised, miko? I see that you are," he cooed, replacing the nest inside of his robes. "Don't be angry; after all, how am I to keep you safe if you withhold information from me? This was my only means of obtaining any news you might have gathered while in the village."

"What?! 'Keep me safe?!' I don't remember that ever being discussed," Kagome challenged, anger threatening to completely consume her. She simply could not _stand_ him!

"That's because it wasn't discussed; however, you can't mean to tell me you think you can defend yourself in the state you're in now, miko," he said critically, coming closer to her in a purposely aggressive manner, his red eyes gleaming. "Remember, miko, it is _your_ powers that are waning in the face of this overwhelming shouki and _mine_ that are returning and strengthening. With no practical training to aid you in your time of need either, you are as helpless as any other wretched human. Do not think for a second it is you who has the upper hand here, miko; it is only because I still see a use for you that you are even alive now."

Those eyes, fixed on hers with such intensity, truly frightened her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

H-hello everyone, long time no see, huh?

Uhm, well, first off, let me apologize profusely for how long it's taken me to write this chapter. A lot of stuff happened in life and about a year ago I did start writing this again when suddenly the computer froze up that I was working on, and in a rush to get to class, I ripped out the memory stick that I had been using to save the file on and lost the five or so pages I had written so far. I became discouraged by that, unfortunately and went back to only writing for school projects until, well, just a few days ago.

I'm taking the year off after graduating from high school to save up money for college and to work on different projects, so I have plenty of time to devote to writing at the moment, and I plan to use to its full extent. After graduating I went into a kind of creative stupor and was feel very lousy about everything artistic I had done previously, but now that I've started writing again, I feel much better and I plan to continue for a very long time.

I appreciate everyone's concern and I understand very much if you're angry with me right now. However, I promise to do my best in the future and hope that maybe you can forgive me for my lack of devotion to my projects.

Well, here's to the new year, and I hope to see you all again soon! Ja'ne!

~ V-chan


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